Super Koopa Land
by Walkazo
Summary: Second in the "Super Koopa" trilogy. After Bowser and his wife are captured by Mario and his allies, the Koopalings set off to find a way their parents can actually win that age-old battle.
1. Accident

**Disclaimer****: I don't own **_**Mario**_**, but I do own the plot, the various OCs in this story, as well as some of the liberties I've taken with Nintendo's existing characters.**

**Author's Notes****: This is the sequel to **_**Super Koopas**_** and the second in the **_**Super Koopa**_** trilogy; if anyone's new to this series, start with the prequel, **_**The Queen of the Koopas**_**. And for those of you familiar with my work, many I'm sure will be happy to learn that I've broken this story up into numerous smaller chapters instead of a few mega-chapters like with the rest of my stories. That being said, please read, review and enjoy.**

**Rated T for violence, blood, gore, sexual themes (nothing explicit), swearing (in moderation), and character death.**

Super Koopa Land

By Dark Land standards it was a sunny day: the trees cast shadows and if you squinted you could barely make out where the blanketing gray clouds hid the sun. It was nearing the end of the dry season, and soon the sky would be filled with black storm clouds bringing lightning, rain and in these cool northern regions, hail. But the occasional onslaught of marble-sized ice balls were but a small blemish on what would otherwise be considered the nicest locale in all the Koopa Kingdom: in the south, the erupting volcanoes of the fire season ensured the sky was darker than during the deepest northern thunderstorm. They got the same amount of rain as the north in the wet season, and even more cloud cover in the summer, since it wasn't just the rain shadow effect condensing the arctic air flowing south through the region, but the heat from the exposed lava pools.

But in the north, the volcanoes were long extinct, and aside from the sheer coastal cliffs of the east and the war-torn battlefields of the western Sarasaland-Koopa Kingdom border, the mountains were covered in trees, and life was peaceful.

It was Saturday, and the children were frolicking all across The Village, free from the bonds of school and rain. But not all the kids celebrated under the "sun": one solitary girl had forgone the playground and was picking her way through the deepest undergrowth in the forest that surrounded the town. She moved silently, not because she was worried about being followed, but because it was fun.

Eventually she exited the foliage and found herself on a well-worn path. Smiling, she turned and skipped down the path, humming to herself as she went. She was a Dragon-Koopa, and as such, she sported a spiked green shell, mustard-yellow body and facial scales, a cream yellow belly and matching snout, and little white claws on her fingers and toes. If she had it her way, the girl would let her talons grow, but her mother insisted on clipping them. Still, it could be worse: she could file off their points too, and deprive her daughter of her most useful tools.

Turning the final bend of the path, the child came upon a large rounded bolder fronted by a small clearing. Grinning, she hopped up onto the rock and took in the majestic view it offered. The girl had found this spot ages ago on one of her expeditions around The Village, and it had instantly become her favorite haunt. Being situated on the edge of a steep hill ensured that no trees blocked the boulder from the open air, and the kid had a clear view of the valley below, and the plateau beyond it, upon which sat The Factory.

Years ago it had been a Koopa Fortress, but had long since been converted to a munitions plant and was now the primary source of inanimate Bob-Ombs, Bullet Bills, and every other explosive projectile the Koopas used against their enemies. The girl's parents worked in the massive building, and being twice the size of most Koopa species, they were given all the heavy-lifting jobs and whatnot; then they would drag themselves home in the evening complaining about their wretched lives while their only child listened and nodded.

"We're royalty!" they'd say. "We're above this!"

"It's only because of Morton Koopa we're stuck here."

"The Koopas were better off divided anyway, just look at those wretched Koopa Troopas!"

"If only Morton's son had been killed too! The world's better off without that bad blood."

"They can't treat us like this!"

"We're above this!"

The words echoed in the child's head as she gazed at The Factory, the rolling hills behind it, and the peaceful valley separating her from its walls. But it was just business as usual in her life, and unbothered by the memories, she continued humming and looked away from the view, focusing instead on the little pool at the foot of the boulder. The water was perfectly still, and the girl's reflection was crystal-clear: her large eyes took up most of her face, her irises were red and her eyelashes clumped together into minute triangles. The sides of her head were bare of horns, though two small fangs stuck out of the corners of her mouth.

Falling silent for a moment, the kid ran a hand through her blue hair, messing it up from a perfectly brushed mane to a shaggy row of spikes that made it look like she sported a raggedy fin from her forehead to the base of her shell. She liked it better this way, and she didn't care if her mother yelled at her for it, or if she got in trouble for coming home covered in dirt, or whatever else her mother felt like scolding her over. She preferred herself this way, and that was all that mattered.

After all, it's not like there was anyone other than her parents that would benefit her looking "nice" – she had no friends, and even adults resented her for her parents. Life was unfair, and that's why, alone in the woods, Bowselta Parakay was at her happiest. Or at least, she _thought_ she was alone. Unbenounced to Bowselta, a young Hammer Bro. was crouched behind a bush just up the path from the boulder. Like her, he was a bit unorthodox: he hated wearing his helmet, and as he watched her through the leaves, it lay beside him, leaving his red-haired skull bare to the clouds above.

Had Bowselta known he was there, she would have flipped, so he was forced to watch in silence. He would rather have joined her on her rock, but that was out of the question, and _he_ was the main reason for that. But all thoughts of regret were soon banished from the Hammer Bros.' mind as Bowselta squatted back on her haunches, and succumbing to the happiness bubbling inside her, burst into song:

"_Magic mirror on the wall,_"

Her voice was high and pure, the boy knew it was thanks to her young age: she was only seven.

"_Tell me what I want most of all._"

He was twelve, they were in the same class, though: the school administrators accelerated Bowselta through the earlier grades because by age three she had already grown taller than her teachers, and the other children were worried they'd be eaten.

"_In another world, in another time._"

Which was totally outrageous. They should have taught those little idiots that Bowselta wasn't a monster, but instead they uprooted _her_ and punished _her_. Fortunately she was smart enough to keep up with the preteens, but it still made the Hammer Bro. sick.

"_Show me what's always been mine…_"

Bowselta finished her song. It was the one she had been humming before. But now she fell silent and smiled contentedly into the distance. The Hammer Bro. loved seeing her happy; he never did in school, or after school, or-

"Nice find Boss," hissed a voice behind the Hammer Bro.

"So this is where she runs off to?" sneered a yellow-shelled Paratroopa landing beside the Hammer Bro.

"What are you doing?" gasped the Hammer Bro.

"Don't worry Boss, we'll take it from here," grinned a green-shelled Koopa Troopa, picking up the Hammer Bros.' discarded helmet and plunking it onto his own skull as he pushed through the bush into the clearing followed by the Paratroopa.

Bowselta had heard the intruders at the Koopa Troopa's first words, and was already on her feet by the time they emerged from the forest. "What are you doing here? Worms!" she demanded, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Nice singing, Princess!" sneered the Paratroopa.

"Yeah, it reminds me of a dying parrot," grinned the Koopa Troopa.

"Shut up!" ordered Bowselta shrilly. She knew he was lying, but she was still embarrassed about being overheard.

The Hammer Bro. was conflicted: he didn't want to face Bowselta, but he couldn't turn his back on his cronies – Dennis and Gary would never let him live it down…

"Mark!" hissed Bowselta as the Hammer Bro. stepped into the clearing. "I should've known it was _you_."

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Any old idiot could've followed those trails of yours – haven't you ever heard of something called _stealth_?" Actually, the hills around The Village were riddled with runs, most of them made by animals and only used by Bowselta, and not one of the trails leading to her boulder were at all easy to find or follow. Mark was sure the only reason his sidekicks had found the place was by following him: unlike Bowselta, who left not a single twig broken in her wake, the Hammer Bro. plodded through the forest leaving a trail of destruction clear as day.

Not that he'd let _her_ learn anything about it. "So what was that tune anyway? Does your mother sing it while she does you hair? Or just when she goes curtain shopping?"

"You're one to talk," growled Bowselta, matching Mark's caustic remarks with her own. "Your mom got you new hammers what? Two months ago? Sterling silver, aren't they? With clawed ends and everything?"

"You're just jealous 'cause our families aren't stupid with money," leered Gary the Koopa Troopa. "For us, it's not a choice between leather boots or lunch."

"Is it true your parents bought you a box of cereal for your birthday? Because, if I recall that was the first time in months we didn't catch you sniffing 'round the garbage at recess."

"I'd rather sniff garbage than hang around you three!" spat Bowselta, but Mark could see through the bravado. He knew Bowselta's parents wasteful habits bugged her, he knew she learned to make due without lunch long ago.

"We keep you off the playground for your own good," he countered. "Those claws would wreck the place, and don't get me started on that shell."

The other two boys cackled. They were the school bullies – Mark's parents owned The Factory, so everyone knew better than to cross him, and Gary and Dennis' families were well-off too. But instead of being snooty rich kids, they took to abusing their power, and their favorite victim was Bowselta. The teachers usually tried to steer clear of addressing issues related to Mark's bullying, but with Bowselta, they didn't have to. Mark's mother nursed a grudge against Clymnestra Parakay, so when she was first informed that her son was terrorizing the littlest Dragon-Koopa, she was downright proud. She spoke of how Mark was "putting the brat in her place", and told the teachers to ignore any more incidents. And as Mrs. Mallet was the overseer of The Village, the teachers had no choice but to comply.

"Yeah? Don't get _me_ started on that hat-hair!" scoffed Bowselta.

"Ooohh, nobody insults the boss' hair!" stammered Gary.

"Yeah, you're just asking for a beating!" menaced Dennis, pounding a fist into his other hand.

"I'd like to see you try," sneered Bowselta, crouching as if she would pounce on the Koopas below.

"Oh, like _you're_ gonna fight. Remember what happened when you threatened to take us on last time?" recalled Mark.

"The teachers phoned home, and your parents were soooo mad," continued Dennis.

"They didn't like their perfect little princess dealing with the 'commoners' in the dirt and the muck," finished Gary.

"They're stupid," said Bowselta simply. "And besides, there's no teachers to save you this time."

"Save us? From what? You, Princess?" said Mark mockingly.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that!"

"For what, Princess?" grinned Dennis.

"Cut it out!"

"Now now, that's not how a lady should behave, Your Highness," smriked Gary.

"Yeah, you're being a bad little Princess!"

"What will mother think?"

"That her little princess is a royal pain in the a-"

"Shut up!" shrieked Bowselta. She knew getting mad only fed the bullies, but she _hated_ being called a princess. She _wasn't_ a princess – her family _wasn't_ royalty anymore, if they only accepted that she wouldn't be berated like this. She _hated_ it. She _hated_ them! All of them! "For the last time, don't call me 'Prin-"

"**BOOM!**" a monstrous explosion rocked the valley below; even the trees around the startled children shook. Bowselta spun around and her breath caught in her throat. Across the valley, The Factory was smoking, something had obviously exploded inside and as Bowselta watched in horror, more orange fireballs burst through the walls. And with a final, echoing blast, the entire thing was engulfed in fire and blocked from view by acrid smoke and flying dust.

"Oh Koopa!" breathed Mark, having jumped onto the bolder beside Bowselta.

"Our folks…" whimpered Dennis, hovering behind the pair.

At that, Bowselta's mind snapped back to reality, and without a word she turned and leapt off the boulder, hitting the ground running. Mark instantly followed her ignoring Gary (who was stuck at the base of the boulder, unable to jump high enough to clear it) and his questions of "What's going on? What did you see? What happened?" as he plunged into the forest path behind the Dragon-Koopa. Within seconds she had veered off the path into a narrow run through the forest; Mark followed, holding his arms up against the whipping branches and trying his best to keep up with Bowselta, knowing full well that if he lost her, he'd be lost himself.

Left and right the track twisted; it was a wonder Mark didn't trip on the roots underfoot, or lose his balance against the downward slope. Finally, it leveled off and the going got somewhat easier: the track straightened out and now it was a straight sprinting race. Mark even chanced a look up through the trees, catching a glimpse of billowing blackness through the branches. He wondered if Bowselta wasn't leading him back to The Village after all…

With a yelp, Mark was wrenched from his thoughts: his foot had finally caught something and he was sent sprawling onto the ground. His face was smeared with foul-smelling muck, but he didn't have time to wipe it clean as he pulled himself out of the mud and stared running again. Bowselta wasn't even in sight, having disappeared around a bend up ahead, but the trees appeared to be thinning. Mark figured he should still be able to see her.

He turned the corner and skidded to a surprised halt: he was at the forest's edge, and across a small gap rose a sheer cliff, the top of which was too high to see, but what was there was obvious. Or rather, what _used_ to be there: Mark could easily see that this was the spot where The Factory once stood, since it was now the source of the clouds of dust and smoke filling the skies and blocking what little light had filtered through before.

Mark lowered his gaze from the darkness above and scanned the area for Bowselta, soon locating her halfway up the cliff. "Bowselta!" he called, running to the base of the wall, amazed she had climbed so high so fast.

-x-

Bowselta ignored Mark. The blood was pounding in her ears and she was beyond caring about the height. The danger didn't matter to her: all she cared about was reaching the top and seeing what awaited her. Deftly, she clambered hand over hand up the vertical wall, her little claws proving invaluable assets as she clutched at the narrow ledges and groves in the rock's face. A weaker species would have scraped their fingers raw doing what she was doing, and a lesser being would have run out of energy long ago, but the adrenaline and Dragon-Koopa magic was flooding Bowselta's blood, and she was slowed only by the decreasing amount of sturdy hand-holds.

-x-

Adrenaline coursed through Mark's veins too, and whipping out his sterling silver hammers, he began to climb, using their toothed ends as ice-picks, smashing his way up the cliff. He was halfway up the precipice himself when his cronies finally appeared on the scene.

"We made it! And you said we were lost!" smiled Gary.

"Look!" Dennis was pointing to Mark.

"Boss! C'mon, man, we gotta follow him!" The excitable Koopa Troopa rushed across the clearing and leapt onto the cliff, scrambling up as fast as he could and falling back to the ground within moments. "Ack! Help me up, here!"

Dennis rolled his eyes and took his friends' hand, heaving him to his feet. But when he tried to release his grip, Gary refused to let go. "Uh-uh, I said you gotta help me _up_."

-x-

Meanwhile, Mark had almost caught up to Bowselta, who was having a lot of difficulty scaling the last couple metres of cliff. She looked over her shoulder at the approaching Hammer Bro.; their eyes locked for a moment, but then she turned away and reached for another grip. Mark sighed and slammed his hammer into the wall with renewed vigor. The two children reached the edge of the cliff at the same time, and hanging with their arms stretched out in front of their faces, they stared at the scene before them.

The Factory had totally been leveled. Figures moved about, obscured by the dust that filled the air and threw everything into a muffled twilight. Only the very edge of the rubble could be seen, but judging by the shadows in the gloom, it piled high farther in from the cliff. All the fires were out and only wisps of smoke permeated the dust cloud. Neither child could believe their eyes – they could barely believe this was reality at all.

Bowselta was the first to look away, frowning into the ground before heaving her body over the edge and making for the ruins.

"Bowselta! Wait!" cried Mark, reaching out to grab her and nearly falling off the cliff in the process. He clutched wildly at the ground and struggled to pull himself up, though this was hindered by his long plastron. The fact that Bowselta's belly scales were soft and not solid had been one of the things he had mocked her about in public – now he shamefully remembered why. Envy was not becoming on a young Koopa.

Finally he rolled onto solid ground, and pushing himself to his feet he started after Bowselta, who was now nothing more than a shadow in the dusty gloom. "Hold on there, kid," rumbled a worker holding out an arm to block Mark. "That rubble's unstable: there could be a collapse, and we don't want anyone else to die."

"But, Bowselta, she just went in there!" protested Mark, struggling against the old Fire Bro.

"Bowselta… you mean the little dragon?" asked the worker.

"Hah, I hope she _doesn't_ come outta there! We'd be rid of the whole family in one fell swoop," scoffed a Koopa Troopa, appearing out of the clouds.

"How can you say that?" gasped Mark.

"Every clouds gotta have a silver lining," shrugged the Fire Bro. "Even this one." He indicated to the flying sand all around them. Mark felt that familiar sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Now, you gotta go back to town, you're mother will be worried sick," said the Koopa Troopa, recognizing Mark. He looked beyond the young Hammer Bro. "You guys too."

Mark turned to see Dennis fluttering over the edge of the cliff holding Gary. Once he was over the brim of the cliff he dropped his charge and crashed to the ground in an exhausted heap. Any other day it would have been funny, but on the plateau, no one laughed.

-x-

All Bowselta could hear was her breathing; all she could feel was her thumping heart and the sharp rubble beneath her feet. She could barely see through the flying dust, and her lungs were starting to burn because of the pollution. She had no idea where she was going or what she was planning to do. _Dragon-Koopas are tough_, she told herself. _If anyone made it through, it's them_. Without warning, a board she stepped on splintered, sending her sliding into a small pit in the rubble. She rolled to a stop and ducked into her shell as gravel and other debris showered down on her back.

She slid her head and limbs back into the open air, a quick inspection found that she wasn't hurt, so she picked her way back out of the hole and continued stumbling through the gloom. _If Bowser Koopa survived a building collapse as an egg, my full-grown parents can too_, she insisted. _They HAVE to_. Bowselta tripped on an exposed loop of wire, the rocks bit into her knees as she coughed from the dust in the air. She wasn't this klutzy normally – the adrenaline was wearing off and leaving her weak and shaky.

She opened her watering eyes; there was another small depression in the wreckage right ahead of where she had fallen. Crawling over to it on all fours, she looked down: the bottom of the hole looked like it was nothing more than a pit of small rocks and pebbles. She didn't really know why, but she lowered herself down and plunged her claws into the rubble. Shoveling it out of her way she dug deeper and deeper. Her hand contacted a large block of concrete and she pulled with all her might, ripping the hole wide. Black sand rewarded her efforts. Something wasn't right. She considered leaving right now, but an unusual feeling inside her compelled her to once more plunge her claws into the silt.

This time, Bowselta didn't bother shoveling, but merely poked blindly through the sand, catching something on her claws. She curved her fingers around the thing, feeling cool glass slide into her palm. Curiously, she pulled her arm out of the sand, and stared in wonder at the blue Paratroopa shell charm in her fist. "_It's one of a kind_," echoed Clymnestra's voice. "_It was passed down at least three generations_." Bowselta yanked on the leather strap, expecting it to catch. "_It's worth more than this house_." But instead, it came free; the loop no longer around a neck. "_Too bad it's not that pretty_." Her mother's neck. "_And the strap's absolutely horrid_." In one horrific moment, Bowselta realized why. "_I guess we can't have everything_." All at once the smells of blood and death flooded Bowselta's nostrils. "_No matter how much we deserve it_." And even as she scrambled away from the pit she could still feel the unnatural sand on her skin. "_Life's just unfair that way_." Clutching onto all she had left of her parents, Bowselta Parakay fell onto all fours once more, and was violently ill.

-xxx-

Blearily, she remembered staggering out of the ruins, enduring the stares and disappointed mutterings of the workers charged with the futile task of searching for survivors. Bowselta knew they wouldn't find any, but she didn't bother saying anything as she walked down the path leading down to The Village. The wind had blown much of the dust cloud into town, making the darkened windows of now-vacant houses all the more depressing. Here and there, groups of mourners huddled, most of them women and children. Bowselta passed them all by; all she wanted was solitude.

In the distance she could hear someone speaking through a megaphone. She couldn't make out the words, and she didn't care. But as she neared her destination, the voice grew louder, and when she finally turned the last bend, she found a crowd of people gathered outside her house. Finally snapping out of the shock of her sudden orphaning, Bowselta's mind now filled with confusion and fear, and she jogged the last leg of her journey home.

"…rewards its loyal workers, all contracts will be adhered to and family taken care of…" droned Mrs. Mallet into her headphone. She was a nondescript Hammer Bro., set apart only by the pink handbag she carried over her shoulder and the matching lipstick on her beak. "…We will stand together in the face of tragedy…"

Bowselta had no time for that tripe, and as she elbowed her way through the crowd, she called out to Mrs. Mallet: "What are you doing here?"

"I am telling these people what will be done for them. We have all lost loved ones, but I will not let our community fall," this last part was aimed at the masses, so Bowselta brought attention to herself once more.

"But why are you doing that _here_?"

"Because, as I said before, contracts will be upheld, and while most of these good people signed up for accident insurance (and will be supported)…" Mrs. Mallet's sickly-sweet smile worried Bowselta, and with her next words she confirmed what the child suspected. "…Your parents did not."

"How does that matter to them?" Demanded Bowselta jerking her head at the people behind her. In times of adversity, her piercing insight shone through the brightest.

Mrs. Mallet laughed. To Bowselta, the sound was cruel and jarring, but to the surrounding masses, it was music to their ears. "We have lost so much, and I am obligated to bring what little joy to light as possible. You parents are – _were_ – not popular, little dragon."

Bowselta glared at her tormentor, but didn't dignify her with an answer.

"Your family's been nothing but a drain on out resources. They were lazy workers and unpleasant neighbours-"

"Here here!" called a spectator. Bowselta thought she recognized the voice as old Mr. Krup, but she didn't dare look away from Mrs. Mallet to check.

The Hammer Bro. grinned at the support. "So it is with pleasure that I inform you that your parents never actually paid off this house. Most families do as soon as they can to avoid these sorts of liabilities, but your parents seemed to prefer white picket fences over home-equity," she cast a disapproving eye on the lavish garden fronting the house. "Therefore, everything inside it – everything they owned – now belongs to The Factory."

"That's a load of garbage," snapped Bowselta, advancing on Mrs. Mallet.

"Read the contract, you little witch," she hissed, backing up slightly. "Though you'll be happy to know The Factory doesn't deal in slavery, so _you_ are free to go. In fact, I _insist_ you leave. _Now_."

Bowselta couldn't believe what she was hearing. Around her the crowd was shouting encouragement to Mrs. Mallet and shouting at Bowselta to do as she was told. _This isn't happening_, she told herself. _It's just a dream_…

"Oh, and I'll take that before you go," added Mrs. Mallet, reaching forward and snatching the leather strap of the Charm clutched in Bowselta's left hand.

"What! No!" cried Bowselta, pulling back on the trinket with both claws as Mrs. Mallet followed suit.

"It's mine!" shouted the Hammer Bro. wildly. Her husband had been killed in the building collapse, so she was technically the sole owner of The Factory. The charm would undoubtedly fetch a high price on the market, and with the factory itself destroyed, Mrs. Mallet knew she needed all the coins she could get.

"Let go!" yelled Bowselta. To her, the charm was priceless.

"You let go, someone help me! Take care of this brat!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Bowselta saw two figures detach themselves from the crowd. She knew she couldn't win a three-on-one fight – she never did against Mark and his posse and they were _smaller_ than her. The figures were nearing. Mrs. Mallet's grin swam in front of Bowselta's face. "No!" screamed the child, and in desperation she swiped her claw at her opponent. She felt the talons contact flesh, and with a scream, Mrs. Mallet released the charm, using her hands to cover her beak instead. Bowselta was flung backwards and rolled onto her feet as soon as her rear hit the dirt road.

She flung herself at the crowd, pushing everyone between her and the open road out of her way. Behind the retreating Dragon-Koopa Mrs. Mallet ripped her hands from her bloody face and pointed, her features livid with rage. "GET HER!"

Almost the entire crowd mobilized – eager to vent their sorrow and rage, even if the scapegoat was a frightened, orphaned, little girl. Within moments, the sky above Bowselta was filled with Paratroopas, shrieking and diving at the kid. She covered her head with her arms and ran zig-zags; but while she avoided her flying assailants, the land forces were fast approaching. Hammers whistled down through the air and fireballs bounced along the ground. Bowselta made a mad dash from the road into the abandoned schoolyard. Running as fast as she could across the field, Bowselta didn't dare look behind her and relied on instinct and hearing to try and avoid the projectiles. Fireball singed her shell, and the Paratroopas were now throwing rocks, which often hit their marks.

Bruised and bleeding, Bowselta dived under the chain-link fence surrounding the yard, tumbling head over heels down the hill beyond it before plunging into the forest. Hammers still rained through the trees and Bowselta tried her best to escape the hoard, but soon Koopa Troopas had followed her into the undergrowth and were crashing ever nearer through the bushes. She burst into one of her runs and sprinted away. The Koopa Troopas soon fell behind but the Paratroopas filled the sky, and Bowselta was soon forced into the brush once more. Now she was going uphill, all her years of learning to move silently through the forest paying off as the sky above her cleared of winged turtles.

She didn't dare stop and give them a chance to find her again.

Fifteen minutes later, she came to a clearing, collapsing on a moss-covered rock, gasping for breath and trying to get her racing heart to slow. After a moment, Bowselta picked herself up and crawled over to the edge of the plateau she had stumbled upon. The view was like that of her boulder but reversed: she was on one of the "background hills" as she had thought of them, looking down on The Village and its surroundings. The wind was blowing towards the town from Bowselta's position, so she could clearly make out The Factory cliff, and while the dust was still everywhere in the valley below, Bowselta could see the black rubble of the building on its cliff. Squinting at The Village, Bowselta could make out figures moving about – no doubt regrouping after the mob: establishing order, and reason once more.

Bowselta closed her eyes and turned from the scene as tears started streaming down her face. Alone at last and free to let it all out, she curled up into a ball and wailed and sobbed until she couldn't cry anymore. Her body quaked and her mind raced. "What will I do? Oh Koopa! What will I do?" she moaned, rocking back and forth. She was alone. How could she have ever thought solitude would be a good thing? No friends, no family, no food, no shelter. She was _alone_…

She opened her fist and looked at the blue Paratroopa shell charm with puffy, red eyes. Some writing utensils and a scarf were all she carried in her shell – along with the charm, they were the only things she had in the world. She looked at her right hand, red blood glinted on her claws: Hammer Bro. blood, the first blood she had ever spilt.

Her stomach gave a monstrous growl. She immediately clutched it in pain; and all of a sudden, everything ached, stung or both. Her arms and legs were coated in scratches from the rubble and the chase; she was bruised from falling, and burnt from being shot in the back. Pain makes most children cry, but not Bowselta: it just made _her_ angry. Those people had no right to chase her out of town like a monster. She had done _nothing_ to them, and all her parents did was make stupid financial choices, and complain about their lot in life.

And who wouldn't have complained in their position? They used to be the King and Queen of the Paratroopas – they used to be rich and powerful, they had servants to do their work and enough wealth that they could _afford_ to be stupid. If anyone else in that village had fallen from so high to so low they couldn't have done much better – Bowselta was sure of it. _But why did it have to be us?_ She lamented.

"_Life's just unfair that way_." Bowselta knew her mother was far from being a philosopher, but the words gave her strength all the same. Gripping the charm tighter than ever, Bowselta Parakay hoisted herself onto her feet and faced The Village for the last time. "I'll show you," she called. "I'll show you all! You'll pay for what you've done to me, and you'll pay for what you've done to my family!"

The words dripped with hatred as Bowselta turned away. Revenge was a dish best served cold, they say, and Bowselta didn't mind waiting – but, sooner or later, she vowed that they _would_ get theirs. They all would. Starting with Bowser Koopa. He lived but her parents died, and it was because of his father that they had fallen from grace in the first place. Yes, she would start there, and once she was Queen of the Koopas, she'd make the rest of them pay, and them, the blood would really start to flow.


	2. Bombs

**A/N****: This chapter isn't as monstrous as the prologue, though there **_**is**_** a lot of recap and whatnot at the beginning. But don't worry, the action picks up in no time!**

Chapter 1: Bombs

Less than thirty years after the destruction of The Factory, Bowselta was nearly unrecognizable. Her blue hair – while still shaggy – was tipped with purple, her scales were now green, and curved horns adorned her head. She was free to grow her nails long and keet them sharp, and they had been coated in blood many times since that first scuffle. But while Bowselta had grown from an innocent child to a violent adult, she had long ago learned to abandon the vows of revenge she made on the hilltop. Rather than killing Bowser Koopa for an injustice his father committed and for the uncontrollable circumstances of his birth and survival, Bowselta had fallen in love with him instead, as cliché as that sounds. And then, once she was the Queen of the Koopas she found there were bigger fish to fry than a small group of unruly villagers. So while Bowselta Koopa hungered for revenge just as much as Bowselta Parakay, it was on a much grander scale, and for a greater good: her people.

She learned that two hundred years ago humans had appeared on the Mushroom World, making alliances with some of the indigenous populations, and slaughtering the ones that they felt threatened by. Koopas were among those driven back from the good habitats and forced to hide away in Dark Land for generations. Thanks to the humans, the Koopa Kingdom became synonymous with evil outside its borders, and Bowselta hated it. She had been branded a villain because she resented how veritable aliens controlled the world; she was considered evil just because she wanted her people to rule instead.

True, Koopas weren't the only native species, and to be completely fair, the sovereignty should be split with the Toads and the Yoshis and the Dayzees and whatnot. And yes, part of her motives was her and Bowser's own selfish desires for power, but _still_… And the worst of it all was that it wasn't just the commoners that had it in for the Koopas: for some reason, the almighty Star Spirits above had decided to side with the humans. Time and time again, Bowselta's carefully laid plans were shredded by the Stars' magic, personified by a pair of fat little human plumbers named Mario and Luigi.

Prophesized to be the downfall of the Koopas, the Mario bros. soon started living up to their legacy as they vanquished everything Bowser and Bowselta threw at them. The queen even got herself stuck on the accursed human homeworld for three years in an attempt to banish the Marios, and when she finally returned and sent them away, it all went kaput. Bowser's disgruntled godfather Kamek kidnapped the Koopalings in an attempt to kill the current king and queen and secure a place of power for himself once the eight children (brainwashed, of course) took the throne. He used the Kongs as his pawns, and as the apes were well known for defeating massive armies, and because as far as the Star Spirits were concerned, Bowser and Bowselta deserved having their kids snatched away, the Koopas figured their only chance of victory lay with the Mario bros. So they were forced to bring the plumbers back to the Mushroom World and release all land they had seized in the _heroes_' absence in order for their children to be rescued. They had gone a full circle, and Bowser nor Bowselta liked it one bit.

After three months of preparation, the Koopas were once again bombarding the Mushroom Kingdom with invasion after invasion in an attempt to destroy the Mario bros. and claim the land that was once the Koopas'. But as each plan failed, Bowselta's ideas got more and more abstract as she struggled to find a way around the power of the Stars and orchestrate a fight free of the bias of good and evil. But after two years of bending over backwards and getting nothing in return, Bowselta had had enough. She assembled as much of the Koopan army as she could onto the Koopa Cruiser (by then, many soldiers had been lost to the Marios and few had stepped up to take their place, so most of the army could, in fact, fit on one ship), and flew them to the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom.

The result was a long and bloody battle. Usually Bowser and Bowselta spread their army out over a large expanse of captured territory. In years past Bowser would also kidnap Princess Peach – partially to prevent her from undoing any black magic he had cast upon her land, partially to lure the Mario bros. into traps and such. He enjoyed her company, though this only factored in for the years Bowselta spent on Earth: once the queen returned, the king no longer had the chance to pay social calls to the princess. As a result of the old strategies, the Marios never had to deal with more than a handful of enemies at once and were constantly on the move, allowing them to gather Power-Ups to aid them on their quests. But this time, the entire battle was situated in the garden of Princess Peach's castle, forcing the Marios to battle hundreds of Koopan soldiers at once, and giving them no time to acquire fancy superpowers to ease their plight.

Within no time, the supply of Power-Ups in and around the castle was expunged, and Mario, Luigi, Peach and their allies were reduced to using brute force against their assailants. It should have been over at that point, since most of the Toads were useless cowards, whereas the Koopas left in the army were seasoned warriors, and Bowser and Bowselta themselves were two of the most powerful entities around. But as always, luck (or rather, the Star Spirits) was not on the Koopas' side: they had chosen to invade during a "Mario Party", in which friends of the Mario bros. gathered at Mushroom Castle to play strange little "minigames" and various other activities. This particular "Mario Party" was only a small, impromptu get-together (otherwise Bowser and Bowselta would have known about it), but it still meant there were more able-bodied combatants present at the castle than normal.

The most troublesome soon proved to be Princess Daisy Floral of Sarasaland. She was a spunky tomboy, and not only could she hold her own against the Koopan armies, but her fighting spirit was infectious, and soon even the pacifistic Peach Toadstool was immersed in battle. All the other guests soon succumbed to the Koopas alongside the Toads, and despite Daisy and the unexpected party, Bowselta felt victory was in sight.

Sticky with the Toad vim she had spilt with her claws and sword, and starting to feel the strains of hours of fighting, Bowselta wrenched herself from the main melee and made a dash for the castle.

"Yyeeaaahhh!" came a screech above the Koopa Queen, who immediately back-flipped into the air, blasting fire at the oncoming Princess Daisy.

"Wh-whoah!" yelped Daisy, trying to avoid the flames. Bowselta wasn't able to see if the princess succeeded, as she had continued her mid-air role, landed and continued her run in seconds.

_When will they learn to keep their mouths shut?_ Sniggered Bowselta, though her mood soon darkened as she remembered that despite the humans' lack of stealth, they had still defeated Bowselta countless times in the past. _Unacceptable_, she frowned. _Never again_.

"Stop!" yelled a voice to Bowselta's far right.

_Again with the yelling!_ she smirked, skidding to a halt and sending a fireball tearing towards whoever made the mistake of speaking. Unlike Bowser, Bowselta hadn't been using her firebreath as her primary source of attack, only for deflecting unwanted surprises and damaging a certain pair of plumbers. That way, she kept her power levels up and available at the slightest provocation.

But to Bowselta's surprise and chagrin, her latest flame was doused by a swipe of Princess Peach's frying pan. The girl was a mess: her hair was plastered to her forehead by sweat and her dress was ripped and dirty. "Why are you doing this?"

"You know why," spat Bowselta, before making for the castle once more.

"No!" screamed Peach, following the Dragon-Koopa as fast as she could. Bowselta disappeared around a clump of trees, and Peach's heart jumped. If the Koopa Queen reached the castle, who knew what terrors she'd bring to the frightened and injured people hiding within?

She tore around the corner and yelped as a streak of silver shot towards her. Twisting her body around, Peach managed to avoid the sword, but suddenly her lower back erupted in pain as three massive claws racked across her spine. Screaming, Peach fell to the ground.

"Pathetic," jeered a voice Peach recognized. "You're lucky that was only my claws." But as Peach tried to look up at her attacker, Bowselta's foot came down fast and hard on her upper back, pinning the princess to the ground. "But I assure you, I _won't_ miss again," hissed the Koopa, raising her sword, point-down, above her head.

Suddenly a small object whizzed through the air and hit Bowselta in the side. It didn't have enough force to hurt her, but she still paused to see what it was: a round, black thing, with a fuse – a _lit_ fuse. The queen gasped and swung her sword like a golf club, whacking the bomb away – and not a moment too soon, as it exploded mid-air mere seconds later.

Before Bowselta could recover, more bombs started raining down on her. She shifted positions, removing her foot from Peach's back a she began batting the bombs away wildly, swiping at the ones she missed with her sword with her tail. The air was filled with fireballs. Angrily, Bowselta managed to locate the source of all the bombs: a tall, skinny human in black spandex overalls and a purple shirt and matching hat, standing on a balcony on the castle. She sent a stream of fire in his direction, and with a "Waaa!" he leapt from his perch, obviously surprised the flame made it that far. When the fireball hit the piles of bombs on the balcony, the entire castle tower went up in flames.

But Bowselta didn't bother watching the destruction: turning away from the fire she discovered that Peach was gone.

-x-

"Wait, Wario! WARIO! You can put me down now!"

"If ya say-so," shrugged the large man, dumping Princess Peach out of his arms and onto the ground.

She looked up at the obese yet muscular man in a yellow T-shirt and shiny purple overalls. "We thought you and Waluigi abandoned us when the Koopas attacked."

"Wa ha ha! Us? Run away from those bozos? No way! We were just getting' some resources to put 'em in their place," cackled Wario. "And by the way, you're payin' fer all those bombs."

"I... what?" stammered Peach, but all thoughts of finances drained from her head as an explosion was heard. "My castle!"

"Sounds like Little Queenie fell for our trick, wa ha ha!"

"What are you talking about?"

Wario pointed to the sky, squinting, Peach saw little black dots spiraling away from the castle, and towards the battlefield.

"Bombs? But- but what about Mario and the others?"

Wario shrugged. "They'll just have to dodge 'em, I guess, wa ha ha!" With that he ran off towards the centre of the garden, which was already flickering with fireballs.

-x-

Wario wasn't the only one on the move. Soon, Bowselta appeared back on the scene, having realized what had happened when she blasted Waluigi's perch. The blast had sent lit bombs raining through the sky onto her soldiers and Bowser. She felt so horrible – she couldn't believe the humans had tricked her like that. As if losing Peach was bad enough…

"Hey! What's going on!" bellowed Bowser, as he swatted away Luigi and caught sight of his wife.

"It's Wario and Walui-" Bowselta was forced to stop mid-sentence as a well-aimed bomb smacked the side of her head. _Not again_ she thought as she kicked the bomb back towards its sender, Waluigi.

"Hot potato: pass it on!" he sneered, punting it back towards Bowselta, only to have it explode halfway to its target.

Bowser watched the exchange, before turning back to his own fight, only to find that Luigi had been joined by Mario, and the two were ready to fight. "Two against one? Not for long! KAMMY!"

The purple-robed old Magikoopa swooped ont the scene, flinging spells as she went.

"Ahh!" screamed Luigi as he and his brother dodged the attack. Sensing an opening, Kammy rammed the fatigued, green plumber with her broomstick, knocking him clear across the field into a hoard of Koopatrols.

"Nice one, Haggy!" grinned Bowser.

"It was nothing, Your Appreciati-"

"PPHHHFFFTTT!"

"Ahhh!" reeled Kammy, covering her beak with her hands.

"Ew!" moaned Bowser. "What in the world is _that_?"

Suddenly a large figure jumped down from the sky, right into Kammy, sending her flying away screaming. "Wa ha ha! I call it the Wario Waft, and I'm glad you like it!"

"Mammamia, Wario," said Mario, clutching his nose as his rival landed beside him with a thud. "That-a-reeks!"

"Sheesh, you must be the _only_ plumber who can't handle a little methane. Then again, you haven't done actual plumbing in a while, have ya?"

"Oooh, you-a-"

"Now now, don't get so uptight, I appreciate the compliment, after all."

"I-a-LOOK OUT!" cried Mario, seeing Bowser let out a fireball from the corner of his eye. He and Wario hopped out of the path of Bowser's burst, but the heat ignited the noxious air around them and all were engulfed by licks of blue fire.

-x-

Bowselta had her own hands full with Waluigi, who was holder her in place by his constant bombardment of explosives. She wished she could break away and help Bowser and the other soldiers, but she couldn't: every time she turned away Waluigi would coat her and the ground between her and the battlefield with bombs. The only patches of grass left on their pockmarked hill were at Bowselta and Waluigis' feet.

Finally Waluigi let up on the bombs for one fatal moment, and instead of trying to run, Bowselta decided to be more offensive this time. Reaching over her shoulder, Bowselta pulled out a pair of daggers from the Hammerspace under the carapace of her shell. Before Waluigi could react, she had flung the knives right at him. He avoided one, but the second hit home, lodging deep within his throwing arm.

"Waaaa!" he screamed, falling backwards.

"I've got you now!" growled Bowselta, rushing towards her prey. Suddenly the ground beneath her shook and erupted with sparking orange crystals. She jumped into the air to try and avoid them, but before she knew it, the crystals had her totally immobilized.

"That's for singeing me earlier!" gloated Daisy, walking around Bowselta, who was futilely struggling to pull her limbs and body from between the glimmering prisms.

Bowselta growled and prepared to breathe fire at Daisy, but the Sarasaland Princess was too fast for the Koopa Queen and with a flick of the wrist, encouraged another crystal to erupt from the ground, rise up and gouge Bowselta in the bottom jaw. Gagging, Bowselta's snout was forced skywards, causing Daisy to laugh.

"So much for the Killer Queen!"

"Oh, Daisy, you saved me!" cried Waluigi, springing to his feet as Daisy approached. "You're amazing, you're-"

"Oh, shut up," huffed Daisy, not in the mood to deal with Waluigi's amorous attentions. "Give me a bomb so I can blow Her Highness to smithereens for all she's done to us lately."

Waluigi pulled out a bomb and looked at it longingly. "But _I_ throw the bombs."

"With that arm? Yeah right!" scoffed Daisy, snatching the bomb from Waluigi, causing him to wince and clutch at the cut in his arm (he had pulled the dagger out long before).

Bowselta watched in horror as Waluigi meekly handed Daisy a match, which she then used it to light the bomb. She lobbed it and ran with Waluigi as it rolled to a stop beneath the crystals. Bowselta watched it until it was too close underfoot to see, she then closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

-x-

Smacking Mario into Wario with a well-aimed roundhouse punch, Bowser stole a glance at the hill, only to see Bowselta incased in a strange structure of orange crystals. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving: she mused be trapped. Bowser didn't have to time to wonder why, for as he started towards the hill to help her, his wife and her crystal prison were consumed in a massive explosion.

Orange shards were flung in all directions, and Bowselta herself was catapulted high into the sky with the largest of them. Bowser couldn't believe his eyes. "Bowselta-ghhh!" as was so often the case with the Warios, Bowser's cry was interrupted by a bomb. But instead of merely hitting him somewhere, Wario had circled around and threw the bomb right into Bowser's mouth, and the gag reflex forced him to swallow it. Bowser gasped and gripped at his neck, feeling the explosive slide down towards his belly. "No, no!" he gasped, punching himself in the stomach to try and bring it up.

"Wa ha ha! Sucka!" laughed Wario rushing out of the blast area.

"Nice-a-shot!" complimented Mario, coolly watching Bowser over his shoulder as he followed the pyromaniac to a safe distance.

Just then, Bowselta came falling back to earth, smashing into the destroyed hill and tumbling head-over-heels to its base. Groaning she heaved herself off the ground. She was covered in cuts from the crystal shards – both small superficial wounds and deep, stinging slashes. She had huge burn patches all over, mostly on her legs and belly, but also on her throat.

Raising herself on rickety legs, she noticed Bowser, frantically beating himself in the stomach in a pitiful attempt at the Heimlich Maneuver. "Bowser?"

"BOOM!" The bomb detonated inside the Koopa King's stomach, sending the majority of him flying backwards and showering Bowselta in ragged bits of flesh and fire. The queen staggered backwards, blinded by blood. Her legs gave out and she toppled into a crater, hitting her head on the cold, hard ground, and slipping into sweet, sweet unconsciousness.


	3. Heir

**A/N****: Yowza, another description-heavy chapter! I've tried to make the exposition in this one as short as possible, but at least after this there won't be any new characters to describe… for a while, anyway.**

Chapter 2: Heir

Ludwig Von Koopa sat on the edge of the elevated platform at the front of the Entrance Hallway. Behind him, 5-year old Bowser Jr. lounged in his father's vacant throne. The kid had grown a lot in terms of looks: his eyes had widened so the white was visible around his pupils, his hair had grown, and his face had matured, so that the snout did not seem so large in comparison to rest of his face. He had exchanged his fang-covered mask for a plain back kerchief to try and look more mature, which was greatly hindered by an unlucky mutation that resulted in him having but a single tooth, like when he was a baby.

Ludwig had grown too, with his own eyes widening enough so that his red irises were clear as day for all to see; his upper eyelids were beginning to droop down, like Bowselta's. His eyebrows had thickened enough for the blue to be visible from a distance. Conversely, the stuff atop his head was thinning; now the two clumps of hair looked more triangular and windswept than they had when he was younger. Soon his hairline would recede back behind his developing horns. Of course, by then he'd be in the midst of Dragon-Koopa puberty, and his 'do would be the least of his worries.

Not that it was foremost in his mind _now_ either, as he hunched on the step, his claws immersed in the hair over his temples as he stared miserably at the floor. A noise to his left brought him back to reality and he looked over to see Iggy and Lemmy walking into the hall. Iggy had developed horn buds and now used them to secure his glasses (instead of balancing them on the bridge of his nose); and he had cut his hair a bit shorter, allowing it to flop in all directions. Overall he looked the same, which couldn't be said for Lemmy. When he grew in his horns, the pink growths on the side of his head vanished, and for whatever the reason, Lemmy sprouted as a result. His body had lengthened and was now in proportion to his head, while his tail and neck were both on the longish side. He had also lost the foot-pads on their undersides of his now unnaturally long and skinny feet, making his lower half look more like a female's then a male's – something Roy bullied him about to no end. He still used his Star Ball to move around the castle, but a pair of clearly visible fangs and red irises detracted from his formerly cute and innocent air.

"What's going on?" asked Iggy.

"Yeah, why'd you call us down here? Did something go wrong with Mom and King Dad's plan?" added Lemmy.

"I'll tell you ven everyvone's present," said Ludwig, before returning his gaze to the carpet.

Lemmy and Iggy looked at Junior inquisitively.

"Moody here didn't tell me anything either," said Junior, glaring at the back of Ludwig's head.

Next came Wendy, gossiping with Morton about what could possibly be the matter. Aside from Lemmy, Wendy was the most unrecognizable Koopaling, since she had _finally_ grown hair – she now used her white polka-dot bow to tie up her ragged red topknot. She had also grown more eyelashes and started wearing more makeup besides her pink lipstick, making her look much more like a teenager than and 11-year-old. She had lost her youthful big cheeks to developing bone structure, which also moved her mouth up from the very bottom of her shout and took away the whole "pouty, bee-stung lips look" she had valued so much.

Morton's face had also changed over the past couple years, making his snout rounder like his siblings', and his mouth not quite as all-encompassing as it used to be. He also sported five strands of hair per eyebrow, instead of the usual three. But like the others, he was still growing, as evidenced by his developing horn buds, the bases of which were red from his scratching. Wendy had finished growing hers in mere months ago, and had celebrated her lack of itchiness with a new magazine subscription.

"No, he would've been _happy_ if they had won," said Wendy, her voice floating over to the waiting Koopalings.

"He could've been acting, y'know, to make it a surprise," suggested Morton.

"Does he _look_ like he's acting," scoffed Wendy, pointing at Ludwig, who hadn't even bothered looking up this time.

"I guess not… But I don't think they're _dead_."

"You never know," said Wendy, matter-of-factly.

"You seem a tad too cheerful about that prospect," commented Iggy.

"I know!" said Morton, enthusiastic about some support.

"Well, it's not like they've never lost before, and Daddy's come back from the dead loads of times, and he will again."

"No! You'll jinx him," gasped Lemmy.

"Don't be stupid."

"Okay then, what about Mum? She _can't_ come back from the dead," challenged Morton.

"What about her?" huffed Wendy, it was no secret that she and Bowselta had been at odds for some time now. They were just too different to see eye-to-eye on most matters. As she, Iggy, Lemmy and Morton debated their parents' mortality, Ludwig closed his eyes and tried to tune them out.

A bit later he felt someone sit beside him and opened his eyes once more. Roy was now on Ludwig's right, staring at the ground through his new, pointed red sunglasses; these and horns were the only things that had changed about Roy in years. He turned his head slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched: a smile. Ludwig meekly returned it, looking past Roy to see Larry waiting silently. Of all the Koopalings, Larry was the only one unchanged from his childhood, but at age 10, this would not last for long – prepubescence was just around the corner.

Taking a deep breath, Ludwig got to his feet. The chatter behind him immediately died out as he took a couple steps forward and turned to look at his brothers and sister. "Bad news-" he began, before Wendy cut him off.

"I knew it!"

"Oh Koopa, they're not _dead_ are they?" yelped Morton.

"No! No…" sighed Ludwig. "Fazzer _vas_ sorta, well, blown up – but Kammy dumped her emergency store of Revitalizing Potion and stabilized him before all his energy dispersed-"

"Wait, what? He blew up? How?" demanded Junior, sitting rigid on the throne.

"He svallowed a bomb," elaborated Ludwig. "Vario and Valuigi vere visiting during zee attack. Daisy too."

"Hah, I bet Mom was pissed her recon missed that," sneered Wendy, but her smile vanished when she saw Ludwig's face. "Why? What happened to _her_?"

"She got blasted too. Daisy trapped her in a crystal and a bomb blew up right at her feet. Peach vasn't sure about her condition ven she called: sings vere still pretty hectic: zere were LOTS of casualties, on bosz sides – but mostly Mushroomians."

"Of course," grinned Roy bitterly. "Da Koopan soldiers who're left are da best o' da best: loyal and powerful, of course dey'd fare better den dose Toad cowards. I bet not a single Koopan life dat was lost – not a single injury even – was due ta anytin' but da Marios and dee odda humans."

"Yes, vell, hasn't zat alvays been zee case?" said Ludwig. "Not zat it really matters right now: Fazzer's not fully back from zee brink as far as vee know, and even if he and Muzzer survive-"

"They will," said Morton. "If they survived the injuries right off the bat, they'll be fine."

"Says you," said Iggy.

"Says me and _all_ the textbooks and scholarly articles out there that can be applied to Dragon-Koopas," responded Morton, who had become an avid reader. "Of course, the last paper I've read on the matter was published ten years ago, based on medical records from thirty years before that, and the Medikoopa's notes aren't really that helpful or enlightening these days and-"

"Sank you, Morton," interrupted Ludwig.

"Then I don't see what the big fuss is about," said Junior, speaking before Ludwig could return to his speech. "In the past, whenever Mom or Papa fell, the other would just pick 'em up and run away with the troops."

"Zere is no "uzzer", veren't you paying attention?" snapped Ludwig. "Muzzer _and_ Fazzer vere _bosz_ knocked out, and Kammy had to surrender in order to get ingredients for more Revitalizing Potion, since Fazzer vas so badly damaged he needed more zen her stock solution. I spoke to Peach ten minutes ago – by now most of zee troops are probably behind bars, except zee injured vones, receiving medical attention, but zey vill still be under guard-"

"Toad guards are useless," snorted Roy.

"Even so, vizzout Muzzer or Fazzer to lead zem, and vit Mario on the premises vat can vee expect zee troops to do? Use vatever part of zeir body zat _isn't_ broken to kill zeir guards and try to limp to zee door before Mario comes crashing down on zeir heads?" Ludwig hadn't been faced with such dire circumstances in years. The last time had been when Smithy invaded: communications with the south had been cut off and no one knew what had happened to Bowser and Kamek, and Kammy was off vacationing in Jewelry Land. But at least Ludwig could do something that time: he rallied the troops in preparation for the invasion, setting up a line of defense across the most impassable regions of Dark Land. But even with four more years behind him, Ludwig felt overwhelmed by the stress and responsibility; he barely kept things together then and felt no better now. He was only thirteen.

"Then _we_ can do something," snarled Junior. "We can go and bust 'em all out!"

"No, vee can't," said Ludwig, meeting his impudent brother's eyes.

"Why not?" insisted the youngest Koopaling. "Because _Mom_ said-so?"

"If vee go rushing over zere, vee'll be captured too, or vorse," said Ludwig, avoiding the question.

But Junior caught the dodge. "Not if we carpet-bomb the castle. You just don't wanna disobey _'Muzzer'_ – you're as big a killjoy as her!"

"You mean I'm just as _sensible_ as her," contested Ludwig. Sure, Bowselta was a tad overprotective, but the seven eldest Koopalings had adjusted to home life long ago; they even had to sit idle while Junior got free reign against the Mario bros. _before_ Bowselta's return. Now it was his turn to cool his jets.

"If she's so 'sensible', why's she locked up in Mushroom Castle?"

"Because…" Ludwig was livid. Junior was always challenging his leadership, always acting like _he_ should be the one calling the shots. Ludwig wouldn't let him have the last word, but the kid had a point. "…because of zee Stars!"

"Great, as if _Mom_ didn't harp on them enough," said Junior, slouching back on the throne and rolling his eyes.

"It makes sense," insisted Ludwig. "Every vone of her plans have been derailed by zee most unforeseeable sings. She sinks of every possibility zat vould rationally occur, and zen zee Star Spirits orchestrate some sort of miracle and screw us over."

"Oh, like when Mario's vacation to Big Ape City was delayed by that freak hurricane," chattered Morton. "Or when Peach broke her leg that one time and then the medicinal magic was still in effect when we attacked and she had crazy super powers. Oh oh, and the time King Dad ate a bad sausage, and burped fire all over Mum's new invention, and it-"

"Yes, yes, let's try and forget _zat_ example, shall vee?" prompted Ludwig. "But sank you for all zee examples, I sink you've proved my point – vit our track-record, our carpet-bombing brigade vould probably run into ball lightning and vee'd all blow up miles before reaching zee border."

"_Ball_ lightning?" inquired Wendy.

"It's a rare, freaky kind of lightning that bounces around in odd directions and appears without warning. It's really neat: there's lots of theories on its origin. I'll tell you about them some time if you want," offered Iggy, who wasn't quite as unrestrained with his ramblings as Morton.

"No thanks," said Wendy, turning to Junior. "But honestly, Ludwig's got a point. Besides, we don't even have any backup or anything: just the castle guards."

"Yeah, well," he stammered, looking back to Ludwig accusingly. "Still, you can't expect us to wait here and do _nothing_."

"Vhy not?" shrugged Ludwig. "Vonce Muzzer and Fazzer recover, zey'll break out, and in zee meantime, vee have to take care of zee kingdom." In reality, Ludwig ached to do something as well, but as the adrenaline drained away, he was starting to see the situation for what it really was. They'd get out, like back when Bowser was on his own: he managed to escape then, often without _any_ assistance. And Bowselta was a retired thief – she'd get them out in no time, and then they'd come home. Just like always…

"Something wrong?" asked Larry, reading Ludwig's troubled face.

"Zey'll get out, but zen… zey'll go right back in. Zey'll keep attacking, and zey'll keep losing but zat von't stop zem: it hasn't yet."

"What are you getting at?" asked Wendy, raising an eyebrow,

Ludwig looked up at his siblings. "Junior's right: vee can't just sit around and vait for Muzzer and Fazzer." Junior started to grin but Ludwig shook his head. "I'm not saying vee're going to go get zem, zough."

"Then what _are_ you saying? Kindly enlighten us!" huffed Junior sarcastically.

"Better yet, I'll show you," said Ludwig, before turning and walking to the door the Koopalings had all entered from. "Come on, I've got zee perfect solution!"

The kids looked at each other, shocked at Ludwig's sudden change of heart, but they had no time to lose, and hurried after their brother.

-xxx-

Ludwig led the Koopalings down the main stairs and into the foundations of the castle. These passages were long and narrow, delving deep within the plateau that supported Koopa Castle above the open lava pits, which, at this time of the year, were particularly unruly. Small vents led up to the surface here and there, to prevent people from suffocating when they ventured down. Most of the castle had been converted to electricity and lightbulbs, with the old torches left up for show; but down in the belly of the castle, fire was the only source of light.

The sconces lining the passageway magically burst into flame as the Koopalings approached, passing beyond the storage rooms and the permanent records, eventually entering the ancient Koopan library. The shelves were two stories high and stretched as far as the eye could see: row on row of immeasurable volumes, many of them hundreds of years old, while others' freshly laminated spies still gleaming in the torchlight.

Ludwig led his siblings through the maze to his book-laden reading table. "It just so happens, I vas reading about an old legend zee ozzer day. You know how much Muzzer likes zat sorta sing, so I figured reading up about it vould be profitable and fun."

"_Fun_," said Wendy incredulously. "As if!"

"Different strokes for different folks," chimed Morton.

"Shut up," ordered Wendy, before rolling her eyes and muttering under her breath: "Bookworms."

"Here vee are," said Ludwig, holding up the book he had been flipping through. The others peered at it for a moment in silence, then:

"…A picture?" guessed Wendy, skeptically.

"No, a mirror," said Ludwig.

"Then what's with all the swirly colours?" asked Lemmy. The picture was actually black-and-white, but inside the ornate frame the glass was filled with circular washes of different shades of ink, representing a rainbow of colours.

"Zee mirror is magical," said Ludwig. "It shows you vat you need."

"Like the Mirror of Alreadysaid in _Harry Pianta_," said Morton.

"Vere do you sink J.K. Kremling got zee idea?" grinned Ludwig. "Zis is zee _original_ Magic Mirror: it dates back to zee human incursions. Most people consider it a myss, but ozzers aren't so sure."

"Ugh, it's the Story of Koopa all over again," groaned Wendy. "'She was real' - 'no she wasn't' - 'yes she was, and she was a god too' – 'oh no!'"

"Yes, vell let me know ven you're done mocking zee foundation of our culture and I'll continue," growled Ludwig, forcing Wendy to sulk in silence. "Zere is proof zat Queen Koopa existed – it's only zee radicals zat deify or deny her."

"Wendy's a radical!" jeered Morton. Other Koopalings joined in the laughing as Wendy shrieked for them to shut up.

Ludwig rolled his eyes and shouted above the noise. "FOR VANTING TO GET OUT AND _DO_ SOMEZING, YOU GUYS SEEM PRETTY CONTENT VIT POINTLESS SIDETRACKS!" The others fell silent and looked at Ludwig. "Hmm, actually zat sentence vas pretty inarticulate, but moving on-"

"But what use is a myth going to do us?" sneered Junior.

Ludwig sighed. "_Nossing_ if you don't SHUT UP and let me finish!" Junior scowled; his face matched Wendy's. Ignoring them, Ludwig continued. "Now, I've read srough all zee texts concerning zee Magic Mirror, and I'm certain I've figured out vere it is located."

"How?" asked Morton.

"It's a long story – vell… no, more like twelve long stories. If you vant zem zey're right here," at that, Ludwig waved an arm over the table behind him. "But, since zee ozzers probably don't care how I got to my conclusions, I suggest you do zat on your own time vonce vee get back."

"Back?" asked Lemmy.

"Yes, from Sogapalag Island: vee're going to get zee Magic Mirror. Zen Muzzer and Fazzer can see vat zey need to do to take over zee vorld."


	4. Dungeon

Chapter 3: Dungeon

Peach slowly descended the steps from her room. She could see doctors running about the main hall through the doorway, tending to all those poor Toads and Koopas that had been hurt. Or killed – she shuddered at the memory of seeing Bowser lying there with a gaping, bloody hole where his belly should have been. It made her want to puke and cry at the same time; she just wanted to hide. She hated war, she had wished with all her might that Bowselta would give it up before it got to this. As if hearing about the carnage was bad enough, but seeing it in her garden… the blood and vim staining the grass, the bombs wilting the flowers…

"Peach! There you are, we've been looking for ya!"

Peach sighed. He may have saved her life, but she didn't really want to deal with Waluigi at the moment. "Yes, what is it?"

Waluigi ignored the fatigue in the princess' voice and cut to the chase. "We-a heard you've got some fancy forcefielded, anti-magic cells around here."

"All the cell bars are spell proof, don't worry about the Koopas," said Peach, figuring that's what Waluigi was wondering about. But it was a little strange: the Mario bros. were supposed to be dealing with imprisoning the able-bodied survivors, and Toad was overseeing the transfer of Koopan patients to the dungeons…

"Yeah, but I'm talking about those fancy cells the Koopas installed a couple years back when they took all this over," said Waluigi, following Peach across the bustling throne room. "Y'know, with forcefields stopping energy 'n crap from passing _between_ da bars."

"Oh, those…" said Peach, vaguely remembering Bowselta installing a few extra security precautions in one of the cell wings. "But, why?"

"Because," said Waluigi, jutting his pointed chin towards the door. "The Acid Queen's not gonna stay under fer much longer, and those other cells aren't gonna hold her _at all_."

Peach stopped dead in her tracks: there stood Wario holding the unconscious Koopa Queen over his head. Her limbs were all bound together, with a chord looped around her forearms near her elbows and around her legs, just below the knees; she also had handcuffs 'round her wrists and ankles. Her limbs hung in space above her belly like a hog-tied pig; her tail and head hung over the rims of her shell, which was being held aloft by Wario. Peach could see that Bowselta's face was still spattered with blood and things Peach didn't want to think about, so instead, she contemplated the final chord wrapped around Bowselta's snout and looping behind her horns.

"What did you do to her!" gasped the princess.

"We made sure she won't kill us in case she wakes up en route to the dungeon," sneered Wario. His hands were now covered in Dragon-Koopa blood, and he had smeared it all over his face: on his forehead, under his nose, _up_ his nose…

Peach shuddered. "But she hit her head pretty bad, and it wasn't _that_ long ago-"

"Tell that ta _her_!" growled Waluigi, walking over and poking Bowselta's tail, which twitched in response and elicited a restless snort form the stupefied Dragon-Koopa.

"Idiot," snapped Wario, stomping on Waluigi's foot. He left his amigo to his pain and turned to Peach once more. "You can see that we don't have much time before something like that'll result in bloody finger-stumps, so show us to those special cells've yours."

-x-

Wario insisted they ran the entire way down. Peach was concerned that jolting Bowselta around would rouse her faster, but Wario and Waluigi were adamant. Past the normal, Koopa-filled cells they went, down a second flight of stairs to the deepest stretch of dungeon, beneath the ground and the possibility of windows lighting up the gloom.

Most of the "cells" were trashed and unusable, but at the end of the hall was a row of sleek new rooms, their metal walls gleaming in the stark light provided by light-bulbs imbedded in the ceiling.

"Out of the way!" growled Wario as they reached their destination, elbowing Peach to the side of the open door. He flung his squirming charge into the cell and grabbed the sliding door. Bowselta landed on her feet and with two hops rammed her head into the bars that had been closed in the nick of time.

"Man, that was close!" commented Wario, whose fingers had been curved around one the bars mere moments Bowselta's horns had collided with the metal. "Anyway, she's all yours, doll."

With that, he and Waluigi left, casting a couple dirty looks at the Koopa Queen as she ripped the chord off of her snout and sent a blast of fire at the door, only to have it absorbed by the forcefield. Bowselta snarled angrily – her own technology was being used against her. It was disgusting.

Peach tentatively started trying to explain the situation. "Uh, Bowselta-" The queen seemed to be ignoring her, having ducked her head down, snapping the chord around her arms and legs with a single bite. Still, Peach pressed on. "Um, you'll be happy to know that Bowser's gonna make it."

"Kammy got to him in time?" said Bowselta, before gnashing at the unrelenting handcuffs around her wrists.

"Yeah, but she didn't have enough potion to completely revive him, so the Toads are helping her collect more ingredients."

"How kind of them," hissed Bowselta, before looking up. "I don't suppose you could get those pigs to bring me the key for these things."

Peach looked at the handcuffs and then down the hallway. Unlike the normal cells, these ones were walled in by solid metal, with the bars reserved for the front and door only, so Bowselta couldn't see that Wario and Waluigi were long gone. "Um, not right now."

"Great," growled Bowselta, rolling her eyes.

"Um, do you need any medical attention-" began Peach, but Bowselta cut her off.

"From your Toads? No. Besides, all the bleeding stopped hours ago."

"Oh, ok."

"I suppose my troops weren't so fortunate," said Bowselta nonchalantly.

Peach was startled about her lack of concern. "Many died, and many more are hurt."

"What else is new?"

"What is wrong with you?" shouted Peach, stepping forward and grabbing the bars. "How can you stand there, covered in blood and- and-" she took a shuddering breath. "How can you act like all the death and all the pain is _normal_?"

"It _is_ normal," shrugged Bowselta, watching Peach's exasperation and horror grow. At this rate she'll never notice anything amiss with her prisoner…

"No, it's not!" insisted the princess. "All this fighting is _not_ normal! You've been attacking us for years, but this is really the worst yet. You practically threw your soldier's lives away on some wild gambit."

"If Wario and Waluigi hadn't been here, we would've won and a lot less Koopas would've died," said Bowselta bitterly.

Had she not been such a selfless person, Peach would've pointed out that _she_ would've been killed in their stead, but she had more important things to worry about. "There's _always_ an 'if' though, isn't there. Isn't that what you keep saying? That flukes or accidents are always getting in your way?"

"The Star Spirits are the only accidents," sneered Bowselta. "And you know it."

Peach sighed – she did not want to deal with Bowselta's obstinate hatred of the Stars again. "Even so, _why_ are you doing any of this at all?"

Bowselta raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"

"Well, I know Bowser just wants the power and glory of ruling the world, and I'm sure you want to help him realize his dreams. But I know that you're not the most altruistic person in the world, so there must be more to it."

Bowselta smiled and closed her eyes. _Almost there,_ she thought, before opening her eyes and continuing the conversation. "Do you remember what I said when I took over the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland? About how the Koopas used to rule the world before humans got here?"

"Yes, and you're wrong," said Peach. "I looked it up – humans were here long before that."

"One kind of human," explained Bowselta. "Ones with pointed, elf-ears, like Wario and Waluigi. Your rounded ears are a direct result of the natives hybridizing with the Earth humans."

"But does it matter? Pointed ears, round ears, how can that mean anything?"

"Alone it means nothing: it's just some interesting trivia," shrugged Bowselta. "My problem is what the Earth humans did when they arrived."

"They made alliances with the Toads, they brought them new technologies-"

"Guns, and other violent killing machines," interrupted Bowselta.

"Used to protect the Toads – they were helpless alone," insisted Peach.

"It doesn't justify the bloody murder of hundreds of Koopas," spat Bowselta.

"What are you talking about? The humans just drove the Toads' predators away…"

"The predators were Koopas," deadpanned Bowselta. "And how do you think they were driven away?"

"Well, I…" began Peach, thoughts of war and death emerging in her mind's eye. But then she remembered where those thoughts came from… "You- you hypocrite! You speak of bloody murder and act like it's horrible, but then you come here and do it yourself! Unprovoked! Unwarranted! You moan and whine about how the Stars are biased against you, but they're right! You don't deserve to win! You're horrid, you're… evil!"

Peach tried her hardest to love the world and banish hate from her mind, because she knew that hate led to no good. But Bowselta Koopa made that _so_ hard a task. She acted righteous but she was wrong, and Peach knew it. She loosened her grip on the bars, preparing to go before she said something else that she knew she would regret. She was so distraught and horrified that she didn't notice Bowselta had slowly crouched low on her legs. She had been so engrossed in her conversation that she didn't notice that the Queen of the Koopas had pulled a small golden key out of her Hammarspace, and throughout their talk, Peach never saw that her prisoner had slowly unlocked both sides of the hand cuffs…

As Peach turned from the door, Bowselta sprang, flinging herself clear across the cell in a single bound. Peach saw the move out of the corner of her eye and turned to face it, losing her balance and falling backwards from the bars as Bowselta shot her arm towards her prey. Peach crashed against the cold rock wall, Bowselta's talons inches from her clammy face. Peach could see dried blood on the nails: her blood. And if she hadn't stumbled, she knew that more of her blood would now cover the gleaming white claws.

The tableau was held for a moment, as both parties gasped for air: Peach in shock, and Bowselta in rage. The princess looked into the queen's eyes, and her heart broke over the hatred that burned there.

"Goodbye Bowselta," said Peach faintly, sidestepping out of the claws' shadows; she backed down the hall staring at the Dragon-Koopa, before the sight was blocked by the metal walls. Peach then turned and ran, ignoring her stinging ankle, and the pangs of pain emanating from the slash across her back, which she was sure she reopened against the wall. None of that mattered; she just wanted to get away.

-x-

Bowselta lowered her arm and listened to the princess' retreating footsteps. She was angry – angry at the Stars for tripping Peach, and at herself for waiting too long to make a move. She held up her key and looked at it. She had stolen it from a Magikoopa's windowsill long ago and mastered the art of pulling it from her Hammerspace even without a direct connection with the energy reservoir beneath her shell that made that ability possible. Magikoopas pulled stuff out of their sleeves, and Lakitus used their clouds, but all Bowselta needed were her fingers. It had saved her many times before, but not this time. Bowselta had designed these cells herself, and the control panel was across the hall: just out of reach, just like Peach.

Bowselta growled and rested her forehead against the bars. A fresh wave of loathing washed over her and she grabbed the bars with all her might, smashing her horns against the steel and roaring in frustration.

Unlike Morton and Junior, Bowselta's sonic screech was unworldly. Anger and pain and hatred, all rolled into one – a sound that could haunt the dead. It echoed through the castle and sent shivers up the spines of all who heard it. Peach closed her eyes against the noise and tripped once more, falling upon the stairs she had been climbing and staying there, her body quaking from uncontrollable sobs as tears spattered the cement.


	5. Mirror

**A/N****: And now back to the Koopalings. Figured out the pattern yet? Anyway, the overall design of Sogapalag Island is inspired by Ilsa Sorna, as depicted in the ****book****, **_**The Lost World**_** (the sequel to **_**Jurassic Park**_**) by Michael Crichton, just so you know.**

Chapter 4: Mirror

Ludwig decided to wait until the next morning to leave, and used that night to get everything prepared for the Koopalings' departure. He told the Chief of Home Defense, Spiky Tom to take care of everything in the meantime: holding all appointments and governing matters until the Koopalings got back and only doing something if faced with invasion or something as critical. Ludwig considered leaving a note in case Bowser and Bowselta got back before the Koopalings, but figuring the trip would take less then 24 hours, he decided against it – lest it fell into the wrong hands. Just after sunrise, Ludwig and the Koopalings piled into Bowser's Koopa Clown Car and flew off, without anyone else knowing where they were destined.

Ludwig flew the car. It was a simple task as the thing responded to basic thoughts: if you want to go up, it goes up, if you want to slow down, it slows down, etc. Kamek built the original Clown Car for Bowser when he was a baby so he could fly around Yoshi's Island with his godfather, so simplicity was a necessity. Of course, the mechanism itself wasn't simple: aside from being able to read its driver's mind, the Clown Car also possessed one of the most sophisticated artificial Hammerspace systems in existence. There were two ledges running around the rim of the Clown Car, one low enough beneath the lip of the vehicle so that young Dragon-Koopas could peek over the edge, and another even lower, so an adult could stand safely down within the helicopter. Beneath this second ledge the belly of the Clown Car seemed to drop into oblivion, and within this space floated numerous objects: Big Steelies, Mecha Koopas… Bowser even stashed Peach down there once, during his rooftop fight against the Marios in Dinosaur Land.

The Koopalings took advantage of Kamek's mechanical genius and used the Hammerspace to stow their packed lunch, snacks, some scientific equipment, more snacks… They had barely cleared the mountains of Dark Land and begun the supermarine portion of their flight when Morton popped down and scooped up a couple muffins.

"Want some?" he offered Ludwig, after passing out muffins to the other Koopalings.

"No sanks," said Ludwig, keeping his eyes glued to the horizon.

"Mellow out, Ludwig," said Wendy, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, you act like you've never done this before."

"I _have_ never done zis before."

"Liar," crowed Junior. "You've flown the Clown Car before."

"Yes, but not vit you lot inside," said Ludwig. "And not for zis long, and not vile Muzzer and Fazzer vere hundreds of miles avay in prison."

"I repeat, _mellow out_," sighed Wendy.

Ludwig sighed as well. "I vould if I could…"

"…But you can't, so you won't," continued Lemmy brightly when his older brother trailed off. "Or rather, so you _vont_. Heh."

"Sank you, Lemmy."

"No prob."

-xxx-

Eventually the small island of Sogapalag appeared in the distance. Sheer cliffs rose out of the waters like the mountains of Dark Land, and within the jagged rim, the inside of the island was lined with trees. But Ludwig focused on the bald exterior, scooting the Clown Car along the towering walls, scrutinizing every cave they passed.

"One of zee books spoke of a 'tunnel to zee soul', and a cave is zee obvious translation of zee metaphor," explained Ludwig.

"Plus it'd make sense to store the mirror in a cave, safe from the elements and any creatures that live in the interior," mused Iggy.

"We're still in Koopa territory, right?" asked Roy, casting a wary glance at the rocky waves below, as if daring a Kremling pirate ship to appear around the next bend.

"I'm surprised you don't know zee answer yourself," said Ludwig, peering at a large hole in the approaching stretch of cliff.

"After we lost Dinosaur Land da border got all messed up, and Sogapalag Island's always been at da very edge," growled Roy, ever the stickler for any and every detail pertaining to Koopa Kingdom defense.

Ludwig shrugged. "I suppose it's still ours, but zere aren't any settlements so zee land isn't really protected or monitored at all. I sink cruise ships frequent zee area..." Once more Ludwig left the sentence hanging, his entire concentration focused on the upcoming cave. It wasn't a perfect semicircle, but its base was still flat, with a short ledge extending beyond the cave's upper edge. "I sink zis is it."

"Great, land on that big platform down there so we can stretch our legs," said Wendy, looking down at the large plateau a couple metres directly below the mouth of the cave.

"But then we'll have to climb up to the cave," whined Junior.

"Ooh, good point. How 'bout the platform at the top of the cliff, then," suggested Wendy, having noticed a few piles of lose rubble along the top of the cliff, suggesting there was another platform up there, as opposed to a jagged edge like with most of the island.

"But then we'll have to climb up afterwards with the mirror," said Lemmy.

"Oh, right."

"Zee cave's big enough for me to land _in_ it, you know," sighed Ludwig.

"Then why didn't you say so in the first place?" huffed Wendy.

"Yeah," jeered Junior.

"Vell, I vasn't sure I could make it until just now," growled Ludwig. "Now shut up and let me concentrate."

It was a bit fiddly, but soon Ludwig had the Clown Car hovering within the cave, the propeller inches above the ground and the Koopalings' hair grazing the ceiling. "Now zee hard part," he groaned, closing his eyes and willing the Car to stop its propeller. It responded instantly and dropped to the ground where it balanced, teetering on the hub of the propeller before keeling over and crashing into one of the cavern walls, rolling over along its rim and dumping its Koopaling contents onto the floor.

"Nice one Luddy," grumbled Morton, rubbing his head.

"Sorry. Fazzer never taught me to land on anysing but zee special platform in zee castle hanger," explained Ludwig.

"Shoulda thought of that before we left," huffed Wendy.

"I'd like to see _you_ do any better," challenged Ludwig.

"Guys, please," intervened Iggy. "You've been at each other's throats all day."

"He's right, dis is no place for dat sorta crap," said Roy, frowning at the yawning expanse of the cave extending deep within the cliff.

"I know, I know," said Ludwig defensively. "Let's just try to get zis sing righted, okay?"

"Whateva."

"Okay."

"Sure."

Ludwig crawled inside the Clown Car and picked up some unlit torches from the Hammerspace. He handed them to Larry, and with the help of Roy, Morton and Iggy, gripped hold of the rim and started pushing the helicopter up against the wall of the cave.

Iggy took a torch from Larry and lit it, holding it aloft so his brothers could see what they were doing. Junior also took a torch, burping a small fireball onto its end. "I'm gonna look around."

"Fine," said Wendy, taking a torch of her own and standing beside Iggy.

Lemmy watched Junior walk away down the tunnel, he turned to Larry. "We shouldn't let him go alone."

"Yeah…" said Larry, lighting the last torch and trotting after his younger brother, with Lemmy following close behind atop his ball.

Junior hurried along, determined not to let his brothers catch up. The cave soon started to get twisty, but all the while remaining perfectly level. _Darn,_ thought Junior. _Now Lemmy will be able to keep up no problem, where're the hills when you need them?_

He turned a sharp corner and immediately all thoughts of hills drained from his head: he had reached the end of the tunnel, and found himself faced with a giant mirror.

The glass was dark and clear, and the rim shone in the fluttering torchlight. It wasn't gold, as Junior had expected, but an ugly kind of steel that faded to black in the crevices and gleamed silver on the edges. It was still ornate like in Ludwig's book, with sweeping curves meshing together all around the rim, but the mirror itself was what drew Junior's attention. He could see himself, but it didn't look quite right. Like the silver frame, the colours seemed to fade to black along the edges, and the torch was barely a red ember in the glass.

Suddenly Junior became aware of approaching footsteps and two more figures appeared in the reflection.

"Wow," gasped Lemmy.

"Cool," grinned Larry.

"I found it first!" yelled Junior, turning on his brothers.

"No one's saying otherwise," said Lemmy, taken aback by the edge in his brother's voice.

"Yeah," said Larry, before grinning and quoting Wendy. "'Mellow out'."

Bowser Jr. growled under his breath and turned back to the mirror, walking forward to see himself more clearly in its crystalline surface. Up close, the Mirror was huge! Towering above Junior's head and stretching away more than an arm's length to either side. It made him feel so small. He took another step forward. He could see things beyond the glass, swirling in the inky blackness. Mesmerized he slowly raised his arm, longing to feel the mirror's smooth, perfect surface grace his fingertips…

"DON'T TOUCH ZAT!" bellowed Ludwig, charging around the corner with the other Koopalings close behind.

The cry jolted Junior back to his senses. He looked over his shoulder at Ludwig, panting from the sprint and standing between Lemmy and Larry, who had obediently sprung to the side when he appeared in the chamber. Junior's eyes narrowed, Ludwig wasn't the boss of _him_. He stretched his arm the final distance, and planted his hand squarely on the glass.

Immediately the blackness of the mirror disappeared, and it lit up with swirling colours. Dark blue, green, red and purple blotches circled the silver-ringed pool; not a single reflection remained. Junior staggered backwards from the mirror's surface, regretting his rash decision as a ghostly face appeared in the centre of the whirlpool. The face looked a bit like a Dragon-Koopa seen from above, as if it were bowing its head; but it was hard to tell for sure, as the only things clear and defined were its burning red eyes. Junior couldn't help but recall the time Bowser and him entered the Striker's competition: their eyes glowed then too, and the memory of the power made him tingle.

"Look to your idol to see the true cost of that dream, little one," advised the mirror, speaking with a deep, female voice. The shadowy mouth of the specter within the looking glass moved as the words were heard, but it was barely recognizable as the source of the sound – it seemed to resonate from every wall of the cave and echo in the Koopalings' internal ears.

The kids were all too freaked out by the recent developments with the Mirror to respond, so it continued with its observations. "But you are all here on a greater mission."

Heartened by the prompt, Ludwig swallowed his shock and fear, and stepped forward beside Junior. "Vee are here to find a vay for our parents to achieve zeir dream: to rule zee vorld."

"I know what they want, and I know what they need," said the Mirror.

"So you vill tell us?"

"I can only share the answers to the questions with the ones who do not ask them. Only Bowser and Bowselta can see the truth within themselves, reflected and made clear by me."

"But they're in jail, and _we_ need the answers," beseeched Junior.

"What you truly seek is not the same as your parents. You tell yourselves that you need them to succeed in global domination, but you can not teach yourselves what you truly need," explained the Magic Mirror impassively.

"That's a load of crap," spat Wendy. "You're just speaking in circles."

"You spend you love where it is not needed; if it is not shared it will corrode your heart," intoned the Mirror.

"What?" said Wendy, utterly puzzled.

"My wisdom has fallen on deaf ears and I have seen kingdoms fall," responded the Mirror. "But your journey is not in vain. Only you, working together as you have before, can save your parents once again. You shall see their dreams come true, and through new eyes they will learn the truth." As it spoke, the Mirror's voice grew louder. The Koopalings, transfixed by the glowing red eyes failed to notice that the swirling colours were seeping beyond the glass.

As the last word echoed in their heads they realized they were surrounded by the ocean of colour. They struggled to free themselves and escape, but the ground was gone beneath their feet; and, in a brilliant flash of blue light, the mirror stood silently, its black surface reflecting an empty room.


	6. Sword

**A/N****: This chapter includes a bit of recap, but I tried to keep it as succinct as possible for the benefit of the vast majority of you who have probably read **_**The**__**Queen of the Koopas**_** recently and are merely continuing with the series.**

Chapter 5: Sword

Bowselta had given up on escape long ago, and unable to sleep through the rest of the night, she sat curled into a corner, rhythmically bashing her head against the bars. Over and over did her horns clang on the unyielding metal; her thick skull protecting her from a headache that would have soon swelled in most species' craniums. In fact, Bowselta was in better health after hours of captivity than she had been after the fight: all her cuts had healed, and only the sites of the nastiest burns and scrapes could be located on her hide. She had long ago wiped the blood from her face and most of her body, though her mane was still streaked through with the dull, sticky, semi-solidified liquid. Bowselta had gotten use to the smell over the years, but it still masked any foreign odors that reached her nostrils. Odors which should have alerted her to the approaching figure.

He knew what he was doing, though, and timed his steps to her head-banging, inching closer and closer to his goal. It wasn't until he was within full sight of the Koopa Queen that she sensed him, ripping open her eyes and instantly blasting a fireball along the surface of the cell.

As the flames dissipated against the forcefield, the figure spoke. "Are you _wanting_ the hotness to bounce back and have the burning of your face _again_?"

"Excuse me?" growled Bowselta, sitting back on her haunches and away from the forcefield that had indeed reflected her flames back towards her snout.

"You have the desire to be free, like a feathery bird of songs," grinned Fawful as Bowselta looked him over. He was a small bespectacled Bean, shrouded in a ragged red cloak and sporting a ridiculous contraption on his head. She had never met him in person, but Bowser and the Koopalings had told her about the time he and the sorceress Cackletta had used the Koopa Troop against the Mario bros.

"Let me guess," she drawled, as if she didn't know who her guest was. "_You_ can make that dream a reality, right?"

"You have the smartness of a man who eats many fish," grinned Fawful. "Although, I am not being surprised: I have the recollection of when you defeated the fink rats Red and Green! Even the Great Cackletta could not have the foiling of the brothers that I hate."

"It took me years to dream up that plan, you know."

"In- of -deed," nodded Fawful. "Though perhaps you had the need of _more_ years, since your plan fell apart like a castle of sand built too close to the sea by a child who is foolish."

Bowselta scowled. "It was beyond my control."

"Is it _always_ being beyond the control of you?" smirked the little Bean. "Your plans have been growing in desperateness, like a lobster being lowered into a pot of cooking. Now you are having the imprisonment in the curdled cells which _you_ had the designing of during your plan of milky firstness."

"I don't need a talking vegetable to tell me what I already know," sneered Bowselta. "You said you can free me, but all you've been doing is recounting my own personal history."

"I am _getting_ to the part of freedom," insisted Fawful.

"Oh yeah?"

"You have doubt?" huffed Fawful. "Are you not knowing who I am being? I am Fawful!"

"So?" said Bowselta uninterestedly. "You were a henchman to a witch, and you haven't been seen since her death. I may not have had much luck as far as global domination goes as of late, but at least I'm not hiding like a baby."

"I am not a baby who is scared!" shouted Fawful, angrily stomping his feet. "I am being a vendor of badges, so that I will get much fortune and buy weapons of vengeance!"

"Uh huh, and how would helping _me_ bring you closer to that goal?"

"You are being the enemy of Red and Green: the enemy of my enemy is being my friend," smiled Fawful.

"But friendship doesn't pay," said Bowselta, unconvinced.

"Fine, having it _your_ way," said Fawful. "I was not going to be saying this in the up-frontness, but I _am_ wanting payment in return for my services."

"As in coins?"

"No, coins mean I have to go to the bank, but as I am being a fugitive this is having the possibility of airline food that is _tasty_!" exclaimed Fawful. "No, I am wanting something I can sell in the market of blackness."

"Like what?"

"Like your gold bands," said Fawful, pointing at Bowselta's bracers. "And your blue charm."

Bowselta looked down towards her treasured pendant but snapped her eyes back to Fawful. "Let me guess, you want me to give you the goods _before_ you let me out, right?"

"Righting," nodded Fawful.

Bowselta frowned, but she didn't have much choice. "How do I know you won't just take my treasures and leave?"

"I am getting the treasures either wayness – why would I be wanting to betray you?"

"So you don't have to put your neck on the line at all," said Bowselta bluntly. "You can't open that lock without the proper key, and it'll be hard to get, even if the guards are just Toads."

"You are using logic like a computer owned by a geek who buys many advancements of technology," said Fawful. "But I am using proof like a hated lawyer – you see!"

With that he flung back his cloak, revealing Bowselta's sword. Longer than Fawful was tall, he held it aloof with both arms. Underneath his cloak he was wearing a hideous white outfit akin to a Rhinestone Goomba's duds, but Bowselta only noticed that in passing: her attention focused on the sword. "Where did you get that?"

"With the other weapons of confiscation. I had the knowledge it was being yours because it was being the most biggest of all the implements. Plus it is having these marks of blackness…" Fawful trailed off, running a finger over one of the stains, before holding the sword out for Bowselta to take. "I have curiosity, what can blacken such metal?"

"It's a long story," said Bowselta, inspecting the blade in case it was a fake, or if it had been damaged.

"I am wanting to hear it," said Fawful sitting on the ground like an eager child.

Bowselta rolled her eyes. "Well, it belonged to Bowser's grandmother Churcha Katrooka. You see, his great grandfather had an affair with a lower-class family. He left his first mate when he discovered she was pregnant, which is unheard of in Koopan culture." Fawful nodded eagerly as Bowselta continued. "Once Churcha reached adulthood she set out to avenge her mistreated mother, who had died when she was young, presumably of a broken heart."

"That is being LIES!" said Fawful. "A heart of brokenness is not a _real_ reason for an Over of one's Game."

"I said _presumably_," said Bowselta. "But whatever the reason, Bowser's great grandmother died, and her daughter set out for revenge. She used this sword to cut off her treacherous father's head, and as he died, the energy in the blood coating the sword died as well. If you want to be poetic about it, death is what blackened the sword."

"Poetry is useless, like a mechanical pencil that is being out of lead," stated Fawful.

Bowselta shrugged. "Whatever."

"How did you have the acquiring of the blight sword?" asked Fawful.

"Churcha took over her father's tribe of Koopa Troopas, and had a daughter named Clawdia. Unlike her violent and warmongering mother, Clawdia was an extreme pacifist, and when Queen Churcha Katrooka died, Clawdia gave the sword away to a museum, since she hated it for what it stood for."

"Wussing," muttered Fawful.

"She also passed on the rulership of the Koopa Troopas, giving it to her husband Morton," continued Bowselta, smiling at Fawful's furtive comment. "He went on to unify all the Koopa tribes, but he was so paranoid about having competition for the power, he made it nearly impossible for all the other royal families to stay in the Koopa Kingdom. My parents were the hardest hit, since they were dreadful rulers and their people, the Paratroopas, jumped at the opportunity to kick them off their throne. They reared me to believe they were totally undeserving of their fall from grace, and they taught me to hate Morton for what he did. But since Morton and Clawdia died before I was born, the only thing we could hate was his son, Bowser. My parents died in a freak accident, and I became bent on avenging them, just like Churcha became obsessed with avenging her mother. I stumbled upon the museum that was holding the sword, and I thought it would be the perfect means to do away with Bowser, so I stole it, to keep its cycle going."

"Death is breeding more death," breathed Fawful. "That is what Cackletta had the knowing of."

"It's basic stuff," said Bowselta. "But it didn't quite work out that way for me. I ended up losing my nerve at the moment of truth, having realized I couldn't blame Bowser for what his father did."

"And then you had the marrying with him," said Fawful, getting to his feet. "I am being surprised this story is not famous like the criminal records of celebrities."

"I like my privacy," said Bowselta, reaching up and pulling off an armband. She handed it to Fawful and removed the other three while he looked it over. "These are specially made bracers: you see how they split along the seam with ease when I want them to come off, but otherwise are completely solid?"

"I am seeing."

"There's special magic in the gold, so you should get top dollar for them," said Bowselta, holding out the rest of her bands.

"And the charm of wingedness?" asked Fawful, eyeing the last trinket hungrily.

"Not until you get me out of here," said Bowselta. "I'm not giving away all my leverage just yet, what if you get captured getting the key?"

"That will be happening NEVER!" affirmed Fawful.

"Even so…" said Bowselta. Leaning back against the wall, and gazing down at her sword. "I'll be keeping my charm 'till you get back."

"You are having the trust of an Amazy Dayzee," sighed Fawful. "But… I am liking your style. It is similar to that of Cackletta. I will have the returning in the morning, fink rat!"

With that, the little Bean ran off. Bowselta grinned sinisterly. _This is gonna be easier than I thought_.


	7. Boat

**A/N****: This story was written before **_**Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story**_**, and while I have retroactively come up with a way to fit it, and its horrifically inaccurate anatomy into my **_**Mario**_** continuum, it's really elaborate, so I simply omitted the whole shebang in the last chapter.**

Chapter 6: Boat

The Koopalings spun through space; colours swirled all around and a haunting melody filled their ears. Most of them were screaming too loudly to hear, but Ludwig fell silent.

"Hey, I know zat tune," he said, looking over at his flailing siblings. None heard him. Suddenly everything became topsy-turvy. It felt like being sucked down a giant drain; there was light everywhere. Ludwig wondered if it was like what Bowselta went through going to and from Earth in the uncontrollable vortex. Then suddenly he was jolted out of his thoughts as he hit solid ground. He flipped and tumbled to a stop, covering his head with his hands as his siblings suffered similar fates all around him. The cave was filled with grumbling and groaning.

Again, it was Roy who managed to stand up first. "What da hell was dat?"

"I have no idea," sighed Ludwig, standing up. "Did anyvone else hear zat music? I'm sure I've heard it before."

"It sounded a little familiar," offered Morton. "But does it really matter? That was really freaky! The mirror practically reached out and grabbed us – and all those colours! It was like that time Lemmy and Iggy covered the castle in all those different paints, remember that? It was nauseating, but cool at the same time, which explains why Kamek was really ticked off by it. Oh, and the part just now was even more freaky! And why's the mirror turned off?"

Morton paused in his rant and looked over at Ludwig. He looked at the mirror himself – it was indeed, "turned off": the glass was void of colours (and faces).

"At least it's still a mirror," shrugged Iggy, looking at the blackened reflections in the glass.

"As opposed to what?" scoffed Wendy.

"Well, a window into an interdimensional portal, perhaps," elaborated Iggy, miffed that his sister would mock him like that.

"You sink so too?" asked Ludwig.

"It fits Mom's description," shrugged the bespectacled Koopaling.

"How would sending us to another dimension help us figure out how we can help Mom and King Dad?" wondered Lemmy.

"Because, in zis dimension's reality zey already have vat zey vant, and vat zey need," said Ludwig, suddenly understanding the mirror's riddle.

"Right," nodded Morton. "I get it, but I still don't see why the Magic Mirror couldn't just _show_ us this dimension."

"Maybe it wants us to experience it first-hand so we can actually comprehend da real important stuff," mused Roy.

"Wow, deep," said Wendy.

"Not really," shrugged the burly Koopaling. "Any idiot knows first-hand's da only way ta go. If you wanna do it da _right_ way, at least."

"I don't like it," whined Junior. "I wanna go back."

"Well too bad," said Wendy. "You got us into this, remember?"

"Yeah, vhy did you so blatantly ignore vat I said anyvay?" demanded Ludwig, glowering at his youngest brother.

"You're not in charge of me," snapped the little Dragon-Koopa.

"You chose a _great_ time to go rebel on us," hissed Wendy.

"Um, shouldn't we get moving?" suggested Larry.

"Yeah, fighting's not gonna get us anywhere," agreed Lemmy before turning to Junior. "I suppose you could go back and wait in our dimension, y'know, watch the Clown Car-"

"I'm not scared," snapped Junior.

"I didn't say you were," defended Lemmy.

"Though _you_ sorta did, with the whole 'I don't like it' thing," Wendy smirked at Junior as his cheeks turned red.

"Enough," sighed Ludwig before Junior could get mad over his display of humility. "Let's just go look around: if Muzzer and Fazzer's dreams have come true, zee place can't be too dangerous… for us, at any rate."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Totally."

"Let's get outta here."

But Junior hung back. Larry looked over his shoulder as he turned the corner, but didn't say anything to alert the others: he figured his brother'd do what he felt was right. Junior waited until his siblings' voices had begun to fade in the distance before taking a shuddering breath and reaching out to the glass. He wasn't scared, but he had a bad feeling about this. He knew something was bound to go wrong, and he didn't want to be there for it. He was leaving his siblings out to dry, but if they _didn't_ return he could go get help – he could save them. That'd show Ludwig.

With a grin, the vindictive Koopaling reached forward and planted his hand on the Mirror once more. But nothing happened. No colours, no voices, nothing. "We're trapped," he whispered in horror, before turning and running after his siblings.

-xxx-

"Look who decided to join us after all?" jeered Roy, disgusted that Junior could have been so cowardly as to have even considered leaving.

Junior was going to tell the others that the Mirror was defunct, but that would mean he'd have to admit he had planned on running. So he had no choice but to lie. "I was going to come all along."

"Then why'd you lag behind?" asked Iggy, skeptically.

"I- I," Junior stammered – he should've sen that one coming. "I mean, it's stupid to go running off into a mysterious dimension with no back-up plan. I wanted to make sure we could get home, and it's a good thing I did, cuz we _can't_."

"What d'ya mean?" asked Morton.

"The Mirror wouldn't send me back: nothing happened when I touched it."

"Interesting," said Ludwig, leading the group through the tunnel. Like before they were using torches to light their way, and they were nearing the cave's mouth.

"'Interesting'? More like _disturbing_," protested Junior.

"Yeah, we're trapped," said Lemmy, turning pale.

"All it means is zat vee have to complete zee quest before zee Mirror lets us return. It sent us here on a mission, and I guess it must be completed."

"But it's a _mirror_," said Wendy derisively.

"A _magic_ mirror," reminded Morton. "Well actually, _The_ Magic Mirror. And I mean, it _talks_, and it has eyes and a face, and it sent us to another dimension…"

"We don't know that for sure," said Wendy.

"Actually, vee do," said Ludwig, stopping in his tracks. They had reached the mouth of the cave and there was no trace of the Clown Car.

"Great, how're we gonna get off the island _now_?" moaned Wendy as she and her brothers stepped onto the ledge outside the cave.

"Maybe we can hitch a lift with some Kremling pirates!" said Morton excitedly.

"No way! Not in a million years!" growled Roy. "Besides, you know da rumours – dat dey captured da ex-royal families when dey were kicked outta Dark Land by King Morton Koopa – and den _ate_ dem."

"Please, that's just a scary story people tell their kids to get them to stay away from pirates," dismissed Iggy.

"Still, dey're no friends o' da Koopas, I can tell ya dat," warned Roy.

Ludwig ignored the discussion of pirates and looked up the cliff: it didn't look like _too_ hard of a climb. "C'mon, if vorse comes to vorst, vee can probably make a boat out of stuff in zee interior. Sitting around talking von't do us any good."

"We'll continue dis discussion at da top," Roy said ominously to Iggy, before gripping onto the rocks beside the cavern opening and pulling himself off of the ground. The Koopalings slowly scaled the cliff, with Roy and Morton helping out their siblings considerably with their gravity-defying wall-climbing abilities.

"It's a good thing Mom's made us practice all these years," commented Morton as he carried Larry to the plateau. "Otherwise we'd never be able to keep up our strength enough to carry you lot up with us, over and over."

"Lucky us," grinned Larry, hopping out of Morton's arms when they reached their destination. Everyone but Junior had been shuttled up already, so Morton waited with the others until Roy reappeared.

"Okay, so Kremlings are polygamists too, and dey've got no women's rights at all, so Wendy'd be toast," continued Roy eagerly, but Iggy wasn't listening, instead he was scanning the horizon.

"Hey, look!" he said, pointing at a faint wisp of smoke coming from the northeast side of the island, to the Koopalings' left.

"I guess zee island isn't abandoned in zis dimension," said Ludwig.

"No duh," said Wendy. "And it's not too far either – we'll get there in no time. We can just go down that slope over there, and follow that river, it seems to go to the smoke."

"It'd make sense to build a village on the river delta," said Iggy, nodding.

"And the cliff's eroded away over there, so it's easy for the villagers to get to the interior," said Larry, looking out over the tropical forest.

"And easier for us to get out," grinned Junior. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

-xxx-

It took about an hour to navigate the steep slope into the forest below, and another hour for the Koopalings to pick their way to the river. Even then, their progress was hampered by Ludwig and Roy's insistence on secrecy: they didn't know who inhabited the village, and they had no way to escape if they were foes.

It was almost noon by the time the Koopalings reached the fishing village. On the way down, a couple of the kids had complained about their growling stomachs, but the first glimpse of the villagers pushed all thoughts of food from their minds: they were Kremlings.

"In Koopa territory?" hissed Roy. "Something ain't right."

"Vee'll vorry about zat later. Right now, vee need a vay out of here, fast," said Ludwig, peeking through the bush that concealed him and his siblings.

"Da wharf," said Roy. "We'll steal a boat."

"But what about all those stories you were telling us about the _horrible Kremlings_? If they catch us-"

"If we stay here, dey _will_ catch us, and den it's curtains for da lot of ya," growled Roy, quieting Iggy's protests.

"'The lot of _us_'? They'll kill you too, ya know" hissed Wendy.

"I know," said Roy, not even turning to look at her. Instead, he focused on Ludwig. "Da sooner we get a move-on, da better. During lunch-break's our best window until nightfall."

"Lead zee vay," offered Ludwig, holding out an arm.

"Wid pleasa," grinned Roy, he turned to the others. "Don't make a sound and only move on my signal, capiche?"

The Koopalings mumbled in the affirmative, but Roy only scowled.

"I said don't make a sound, idiots."

"Sorry," said Lemmy, before wincing at his mistake.

"Yeah, you'll be wincin' all right – when da Kremlings've got you by dat fancy hair of yers."

"Jeeze, you might wanna let up on the doom and gloom a bit Roy, do you want us to be nervous wrecks out there?" said Morton uneasily.

"Life _is_ doom and gloom: get used ta it," growled Roy, crawling out from behind the bushes and running around the back wall of a nearby hut. He waved for the others to follow. Hearts pounding, the seven other Koopalings followed, scooting one-by-one from behind the bush, after furtively looking for nearby villagers. Ludwig brought up the rear; he was clutching his wand, in case it came to fighting.

Roy saw this and nodded his approval. Personally, he was dreadful at magic, but he knew that a skilled spellcaster like Ludwig would come in handy when push came to shove. But Kremlings were larger than _adult_ Dragon-Koopas. They were fast, thick-skinned and mean, and if the Koopalings were caught now, Roy knew they wouldn't stand a chance.

Keeping this in mind, he dashed from his hiding place, flitting between barrels ringing the gap between the first and second huts. He reached the next wall and crouched beside a container of rotting fish, he pointed to Wendy and motioned her forward.

She was surprised and wary of this move, but came forward without protest. She reached Roy, scrunching her snout against the fishy smell as he nodded towards a roadside ditch across the clearing. Her eyes widened: there was no cover between her current location and her goal. She shook her head at Roy. He frowned, there wasn't enough room in their corner for the rest of the Koopalings to fit – perhaps one more figure could squeeze in, but anyone else would be clearly visible from the alley between the houses and the clearing on the other side of the fish bin. He had hoped Wendy would be confident enough of her agility to make the dash, so she could wait in the ditch and help encourage others to follow.

Clearly that wouldn't work. Roy called Junior over as well, since he'd take up the least room in the hideout. When Junior arrived, Roy held out a finger, indicating for them to wait. He then slunk around the fish bin and disappeared. The other Koopalings waited in confusion, when they heard a loud smash in the clearing beyond. Wendy couldn't resist and crawled forward along the side of the house, peeking around the corner. She saw a couple Kritters and a Klap Trap run towards the source of the noise, and she heard shouting. _A distraction_, she realized, sucking in a deep breath and making a run for the ditch.

-x-

By the time Roy returned from his distraction-making, Ludwig and Junior (who had stayed at the second hut and directed the other Koopalings) were the only ones who hadn't made the trip. They ran across the road together and Roy lead the Koopalings down the trench, which snaked over to the edge of the harbor. They could see a couple dinghies and a larger sailing ship tied nearby, but Roy was looking for something faster.

Larry tapped his arm and pointed to the stern of the schooner, beyond which the tail end of a motorboat was barely visible. Roy flashed Larry a brief smile, before wading into the water. The harbor was located in a small bay that was protected from the ocean's pitching waves by small ridges of jagged rocks reaching out from the cliffs. The Koopalings had swum over to the motor boat in no time and Iggy immediately set to work hot-wiring the craft. The others crouched low in the boat. It was a four-Kremling craft, but all the Koopalings could fit inside – barely.

Iggy had almost got the boat moving when a Kremling appeared on the dock. "Hey! Filthy brats!"

Without thinking, Ludwig used his wand to hurl a box that had been stashed beside one of the chairs at the Kritter. He whacked it out of the way, yelling in rage as its contents of letters spilt onto the damp docks.

"You'll pay for that!"

Morton reared up and belted out a sonic scream, sending the Kremling courier staggering backwards, and off the dock.

"Now everyone knows we're here!" yelped Junior.

"Shove off!" cried Ludwig, roasting the nearest mooring line with a spell. "Qvickly, before more arrive!"

Roy jumped over the windshield and onto the boat's bow. He cut the second line with his claws, looking up to see two more Kritters approaching. Lemmy jumped up beside him and sent a flare towards their assailants, setting the dock on fire in the process.

"Oops," he said, wincing once again.

"No, it's a good ting," said Roy, magically extending his arms to push the bow away from the dock. At the stern, Ludwig was also working to turn the craft around.

The first Kremling suddenly reared out of the water and grabbed onto the side of the boat. Wendy was nearest and screamed, before hurling some spinning bracelets at the Kritter, smashing his fingers. He yelped and fell into the water. Ludwig then sent a blast of electricity after him, making the whole bay spark and crackle.

More screams filled the air: the two Kremlings had jumped into the water to avoid Lemmy's fire, and had almost reached the Koopalings underwater, being forced to surface as their bodies went out of control.

"Dat was lucky," said Roy, pushing against the schooner to finish pointing the motor boat out to see.

"Got it!" crowed Iggy, emerging form under the dashboard as the boat roared to life.

"And not a moment too soon," said Wendy, as the Kremlings started to revive.

"Let's get outta here!" cried Lemmy as he and Roy jumped back into the body of the boat.

"Already covered," grinned Junior, who had hopped into the driver's seat and sped the boat away the moment Roy and Lemmy were secure. Having Kart raced with Bowser on many occasions, he had the most driving experience, so the others didn't complain, and just enjoyed the fact they were getting out of the village.

"By the way, Roy," said Wendy. "What was it you distracted those guys with?"

"Wouldn't you like ta know," grinned Roy. "I'll tell ya dis much: dat market place is gonna stink ta Star Haven for quite some time."

"Ew."


	8. Legend

Chapter 7: Legend

Peach sat in her room brushing her hair. She had just finished a nice, cleansing bath, and she felt a bit better. The medics had finished up on the last injured Koopa soldier a while ago, and all that was left was Bowser. She was surprised he wasn't perfectly healed yet: he had always bounced back so quickly in the past... She hoped he would be better in the morning: she wanted to talk to him and make sure he was alright. Deep down she knew he was a good guy, maybe not in the literal sense of the term, but in his own special way.

His wife on the other hand…

Peach sighed and continued her brushing. Sometimes she had her Toad maids do her hair: it felt so nice, but she also liked doing things on her own every now and then. She had gotten all the tats out some time ago, but she still absentmindedly ran the brush through the inoffensive strands. Sighing, she flicked a lock out of her face, catching sight of her ear in the mirror. She reached up and ran a finger along its rounded edge, Bowselta's words echoing in her mind.

Suddenly, Peach knew what she had to do. Standing up, she made sure her robe was nice and secure, before slipping on a pair of fuzzy pink slippers and marching out of her room. It was late, and only a few Toad maids, guards and medics were around; all were surprised to see the princess in nothing but a bathrobe.

Toadsworth was surprised too. "Princess! What are you doing? What if someone sees you?"

"I'm perfectly covered," said Peach. "And it's _my_ home: I can wear what I want."

"I'm just glad Wario and Waluigi have left," grumbled the old butler.

"Toadsworth!" exclaimed Peach, shocked that he would think so lowly of the men who saved them all. And that he would think she'd _let_ them try anything indecent anyway…

"I'm sorry, it's been a long day," sighed Toadsworth. "And you should be asleep by now!"

"I know, but I need to know something first," said Peach.

"Oh, I had a feeling you'd come to me about this," said Toadsworth, fumbling with something in his overcoat. "Here."

"Um," said Peach, confused at the silver key her aide-de-camp had handed her.

"It's to Bowselta's cell. She's such a shifty character, I wanted to make sure the key was guarded extra well."

"What? Oh, no, it's not about her… Not really… It's about something she said, actually," said Peach, clutching the key as if it would ease her mind.

"Oh? Did she threaten you?" demanded Toadsworth.

An image of bloody claws flashed in Peach's mind, but she pushed it away. "N- no. Toadsworth, can you tell me about how my ancestors arrived from Earth? And what they did to the Koopas?"

"Why? What has she told you?"

"It doesn't matter. Please Toadsworth, I need to know the truth," Peach was quite insistent.

The old Toad sighed, he knew there was no arguing with the princess when she got like this. "Well… Okay, if you insist. Let's sit by the fire, though – I don't want you to catch a cold."

"But it's the summertime," chuckled Peach, following Toadsworth through the parlor. She had caught him finishing up a late-night snack at the table, though he still had a warm mug of hot chocolate clutched in his hand. He always had quite the sweet tooth.

He noticed her smiling at his beverage. "Oh, do you want one?"

"Oh, no," said Peach graciously. "I already brushed my teeth."

"Oh-o! That's my little Peachie!" chortled Toadsworth, settling himself in a big cushy armchair. Peach sat across from him, both chairs were angled towards the fire, but Peach shifter hers to face Toadsworth directly. "Are you sure? You could brush them again afterwards."

Peach shook her head. "I'm fine, now stop delaying!"

She flashed Toadsworth an eager grin: she had always loved it when he told her fireside stories. Even if this tale was about serious matters, Peach couldn't help but feel exited.

Toadsworth smiled. "My word, your eyes haven't shone like that for years, it seems! It does an old heart good. Now, let's see, how shall I begin?"

"How about 'once upon a time'?" suggested Peach.

"Actually, the story's not quite old enough to merit that," explained Toadsworth. "It happened just under 200 years ago, in the Earth year 1800."

"Mario and Luigi said it was 1990-something when they were trapped on Earth," offered Peach, wishing she could remember the exact date.

"You see? 200-ish years. Of course, different humans use different calendars, but this is the date the settler's brought us. They arrived on two ships, the _USS Pickering _and the_ USS Insurgent_ (if I'm not mistaken) and made contact with the locals on the eastern coast of what is now our Mushroom Kingdom. Rougeport, Sea Side, Mushroom City – thereabouts. Anyway, there were already humans about, but what really set the newcomers apart was their technology. No one had schooners like theirs. Of course, the ships needed to be strong to get through the portal, from what I've heard."

"It's quite violent," agreed Peach. "I'm surprised a wooden sailing ship could even make it through."

Toadsworth shrugged. "Perhaps the randomly occurring portals are different than Bowselta's artificial ones."

"Traveling through dimensions was easy as walking through doors when Mario, Luigi, Bowser and I were in the Flipside dimensions, though I gather they're different as far as the laws of nature go. All that business in 5-D was hard on the eyes..."

"Quite a few ships have mysteriously appeared like those first two, and there have been even more wrecks. At least now we know something about the portal, even if Bowselta's discovery has left us with more questions than answers… But that's beside the point! You always did have a habit of asking such distracting questions!"

Peach giggled at Toadsworth's mock-chastising. "All right, all right, I'll be quiet. So the ships arrived and the locals were impressed by their technology, then what?"

"Then the humans made alliances with the locals; the trip had been hard on them. It had always gone that they both got lost in a horrible storm, hit a maelstrom and were spirited here."

"That sounds about right," said Peach, before realizing she had interrupted again. "Oops, sorry Toadsworth."

He waved it off. "Don't worry, I'm still on track with the story. You see, the larger of the two ships, the _Insurgent_ lost her captain, and a man named Toadstool had taken command. His crew fared almost as badly as their old captain, and the _Pickering_ wasn't much better off. They needed supplies, and in return they offered to share their technology with the local Mushroom People."

"Mushroom People?" Peach had given up her vow of silence.

"You'll see," winked Toadsworth. "Anyhoo, the locals were eager to learn, but a new problem soon arose, and that was the Turtle People."

"Koopas," piped in Peach.

"For now, they're the _Turtle People_," said Toadsworth mysteriously, before clearing his throat and continuing. "You see, they would attack the Mushroom Peoples' villages, stealing food and animals. The humans vowed to help their allies, and fought the Turtle People, driving them into the mountains of Dark Land."

"At least _something_'s still the same," sighed Peach, but a worried look crossed her face. "Toadsworth, _how_ did the humans combat the Koopas?"

"With one of their most formidable and deadly advancements: the gun," said the old butler ominously.

"You mean, like a Super Scope?"

"Slightly: instead of employing energy pulses, the human guns fired small metal balls called bullets. Victims would be penetrated by the projectiles and depending on where they were shot, their internal organs could be damaged enough to cause death."

"It sounds terrible," said Peach, understanding why Bowselta spoke of the "invasion" which such disgust and anger.

"It gets worse," said Toadsworth. "The guns – and all the rest of the humans' projectile killing-machines – supposedly destroyed life energy itself. It's been branded as "black magic" by many, including the Koopas."

"What happened?" demanded Peach. "I mean, there's nothing like that around now. Like Bullet Bills – they're totally different."

"They're a recent development, I was around to see their rise in popularity, actually. Before that, inanimate Bullet Bills and Bob-Ombs were used, but they still employed the magical energy of the world in their existence. In fact, I do believe the only ones who still use the barbaric basics are Kremlings."

"But _why_?"

"Because they're savage pirates," growled Toadsworth.

"No, not the Kremlings," said Peach. "Everyone else, and the _lack_ of guns!"

"My word, Peach, don't get so exited!"

Peach sighed. "I'm sorry Toadsworth, but I need to know."

"Yes, yes," said Toadsworth, taking a sip of his hot chocolate before continuing. "Unfortunately, the humans had a rather disturbing tendency towards violence, and would not relent on the chase. The Turtle People were at their mercy, but they didn't care. They no longer wished to settle peacefully: they wanted to conquer the land. And it wasn't just Turtles who bore their fury – Dragons in particular were hit hard."

"Dragons?" asked Peach, a sinking feeling in the pit of stomach.

"Oh yes. It seemed the creatures had been a staple of Earth mythology for centuries, and dragon-slaying swept the nation. And not just the big ones: they were too scarce. O ho! The real massacre befell the Shelled Dragons."

"As in Bowser," said Peach softly. "And Bowselta, and the Koopalings."

Toadsworth saw the sadness in the princess' lowered face. "I'm afraid so. Countless hundreds fell; they would've gone extinct had one not had the courage to stand alone and fight."

"Oh?"

"Her name was Koopa, her mate was killed by humans, and she vowed revenge. But she was smart about it: she knew she would never stand a chance against the black magic of the guns, so she sought out the source of 'light magic' on out world."

"The Stars?"

Toadsworth shook his head. "The Mystic Meteor. It supposedly traveled out from the heart of the Universe, and brought a brilliant energy to this world. It seeped through the planet and brought all creatures their extraordinary powers, the likes of which could never have been possible on Earth, for one."

"So she used it against the humans?" said Peach, who couldn't help but feel Bowselta was like a modern-day Koopa.

"At first," said Toadsworth. "She seemed to appear out of nowhere and lead the Koopas against their assailants as their queen. But she soon realized an evenly matched war was little better than the bloodbath that preceded it: so many died – only now it was on both sides. So instead, Koopa called for peace. She made an alliance with Toadstool: she would use the Meteor to give his soldiers magical powers, and they would destroy their own black magic."

"So that's why humans are so powerful," mused Peach. "It explains so much, like how Mario and Luigi survive everything that gets thrown at them…"

"Indeed it does," smiled Toadsworth. "But the story's not quite over. No one is sure how Koopa diverted power to the humans, but whatever happened took her life. She went away, and was never seen again."

"That's terrible!"

"It was tragic, but it is the reason we are all here. I am sure if she hadn't done what she did, the fighting would not have stopped until every human and every turtle was dead."

"Is that why they're called Koopas now?" asked Peach.

"Yes, the Turtle People immortalized Queen Koopa by naming themselves in her honor, just like the Mushroom People honored _their_ savior, Toadstool, by calling themselves Toads."

"I had always wondered about that," smiled Peach good-naturedly. "And Toadstool, he was my ancestor?"

"Of course," nodded Toadsworth. "Fortunately for he and his men, there were quite a few _native_ human populations, though they were a bit different."

"I know," said Peach. "They had pointed ears… But how come all the humans – except Wario and Waluigi – that I have ever met have rounded ears? Just how many humans arrived on those ships?"

"About three hundred between the two, not including casualties of the trip and of the war. All men, of course, and they found the pointed ears of the native women... ah, how do you say…uh, stirring," said Toadsworth, blushing.

"Obviously they never met Wario," chuckled Peach. "But after only two hundred years, that's what, six? Seven generations?"

"About that," agreed Toadsworth. "But they reproduced like rabbits, as some would say. And pointed ears are a very recessive trait. Over in the Waffle Kingdom most people have pointed ears, though, since the Earth humans never really got that far."

Peach nodded, and stared into the fire, digesting everything she just heard; true, she had known bits and pieces of the story, but only now was it clear to her. At first she thought she understood where Bowselta's anger came from, and when she first heard about Queen Koopa she was sure of it. They were so similar at first, but Koopa had decided on peace – something Bowselta rejected time and time again. And the humans – sure they were horrible, but it was the Koopas who started the war… It's always the Koopas who start the war.

"But…" said Peach. "She's got it all wrong."

"Who?" asked Toadsworth, startled by Peach's sudden assertion.

"Bowselta. She acts like humans don't belong here, like we're aliens. But Koopa made us part of this world, didn't she? She knew the only way we could both live was if we had peace between us. And all Bowselta wants to do is destroy that. She says it's the Koopas' right to rule, but it's not: they never ruled, they were just bullies."

"Unfortunately that happens a lot with legends – factual events take on the mantel of myth, and become open to interpretation. 'The Story of Koopa', as they call it, has already phased out the ancient creation stories in Dark Land. Queen Koopa was just a smart, courageous widow, yet she's revered as a god. There's even a few groups who believe she called the Star Spirits down from their own dimension to ratify her deal with Toadstool, and to make sure it was upheld after her death."

"I doubt Bowselta believes that – she hates the Stars," said Peach bitterly.

Toadsworth was startled by the princess' tone, but he left her to her thoughts and raised his mug once more, only to find he had absentmindedly finished the hot chocolate during the last leg of the story. He frowned and looked at his watch. "Gracious me! Is it that late already? My word, you should have been asleep hours ago!"

"I'm not a child," huffed Peach, but she was smiling.

"I don't want to hear it, now off to bed, chop chop, you've heard your story. And besides, you look tired."

Even as Toadsworth spoke, Peach let out an enormous yawn. "I suppose you're right Toadsworth, thank you for the story."

"It was my pleasure," smiled the old Toad sincerely. "Now, to bed!"

"Yes _Dad_," joked Peach, making her way to the door. As she crossed the threshold she called back to Toadsworth. "'Night!"

"Sweet Dreams!" responded Toadsworth, before adding in an undertone, "…Princess Toadstool."

-xxx-

Peach was sound asleep in no time. On her bedside table lay the silver dungeon key, which she had forgotten to return to Toadsworth. A shadow fell across the shining metal and there was a click at the window.

The princess' eyes flew open. After yeas of kidnappings, she had become sensitive to even the faintest of noises that could spell trouble. She sat bolt upright and looked to window: it was still closed, and nothing but the full moon hung beyond the glass. Peach sighed, falling back to her pillow and turning over onto her slide, slowly drifting off once more.

Below her window, outside the castle crouched a very irate Bean. "Fink Rat! Now I am waiting until _morning_ to have the taking of that key of neededness! Grrrr… I HAVE FURY!"

He froze, realizing he probably woke the princess with that exclamation. Leaping from the roof, he activated the rockets on his headgear and flew away into the windy night.


	9. Blacksmith

Chapter 8: Blacksmith

The Koopalings' boat ride was uneventful. After they were sure they weren't being followed, Morton broke out the food stores he had brought from the Clown Car. He didn't have much, but it was enough to sustain him and his siblings until they caught their first glimpse of the mainland Koopa Kingdom.

"Ugh, it's about time!" moaned Wendy.

"Look on the bright side, it could have been much worse. This is a courier ship, so it's really fast – anything else would've added another hour or two to the journey, _at least_," said Morton, unfazed by the prospect of a five to six-hour boat ride.

"Plus it's got great mileage, and huge fuel tanks," added Junior, still driving the boat.

"Bleh, who cares?" said Wendy rolling her eyes.

"Now you know how _we_ feel every time you bother us about fashion, and makeup, and-"

"Butt-out Iggy," growled Wendy.

"He does have a point," said Lemmy.

"You stay outta this too."

"All of you, qviet!" ordered Ludwig. "Junior, see zat villiage over zere? It's Burt's Cove; zere's a train zat runs from zere straight to zee castle."

"Okay, I'll take us in," said Junior, but Ludwig shook his head.

"No. I'm still vorried about zee state of zis dimension: for all vee know, zee Kremlings could be here too."

"Doubt it," snorted Roy.

"Even so, vee should be careful. Take us norsz of zee town, and vee'll approach from along zee coastline. Vee'll stow zee boat in zat rocky area, see it? Zen vee'll go zee rest of zee way on foot."

"Fine," said Junior, all his rebellious thoughts having been quelled by the Kremling incident.

"Um," said Larry from the back of the boat. "I think we should maybe disguise ourselves, so we don't stick out. Y'know, even if it's still a Koopan port."

"Good idea," said Roy. "I could pass as a Boom Boom, but the rest of ya? No way!"

"There's a couple cloaks stashed under the chairs," said Lemmy. "Probably to keep the mail men or whatever dry if they hit bad weather."

"Great," said Wendy, helping her brother pull the material out into the open. "There's enough here to cover everyone."

"Zat is good news," said Ludwig. "You guys start cutting zee fabric, and Vendy and I vill fashion it into cloaks small enough for uz to vear."

"And I'll pilot the boat," quipped Junior.

-xxx-

The Koopalings landed the motorboat in no time, though there was a bit of a problem securing it, as all the mooring lines had been slashed during their escape from the Kremlings. Instead, Ludwig, Morton and Roy pulled the boat up onto a small shoal and blocked it from view with some boulders. No one would find it unless they climbed over the surrounding rocks, and between the cold ocean spray and pointed shale, the Koopalings doubted anyone besides them would attempt this feat.

The coarse black cloaks were terrible, but they did cover the kids form head to foot, their frayed edges barely clearing the ground. It was still afternoon, so even in shadow, the kids' faces could be seen, but Ludwig hoped no one would bother to look that closely. Aside from Rougeport, Burt's Cove was the seediest town on the eastern coast; people minded their own businesses, be they crooked or legit. The Koopalings were relieved to see the place crawling with Koopas: Clubbas, Troopas, even the occasional Boom Boom. There were also lots of hooded folk around, and no one paid the Koopalings any mind as they wandered into town.

"I vonder ven zee next train leaves," mused Ludwig.

"Hopefully before dark," said Iggy. "I don't like the looks of this place."

"Don't worry, there's lots of respectable businesses here, if you have money to pay for 'em," cackled Morton. "Besides, it's only 3:00: the south train arrives every day at the castle at 8:00, and it's only a four-hour trip."

"_Only_ a four hour trip?" gagged Wendy.

"Well, if we have an hour before the train leaves, I suggest we get something to eat," said Junior, ignoring his sister.

"Vee should get tickets first," disagreed Ludwig. "Zen food."

"First we have to _find_ the train," said Iggy.

"The central plaza's up ahead by the looks of it," said Lemmy, peering over his siblings' heads atop his ball (which was also hidden under his cloak). "They'll probably be signs there; some of us could get tickets and other could get food."

"Sweet," said Junior as the Koopalings neared the plaza. Like Rougeport, the centre of town was a large, cobbled clearing, but instead of the centerpiece being some ominous gallows, Burt's Cove housed a large gold statue. The Koopalings came at it from the side, and were shocked at the sight.

"Is that _Daddy_?" gasped Wendy.

"King Dad doesn't have a beard," said Iggy flatly.

"Nor a cape, and this guy's holding a scepter too, but on the other side…" Morton trailed off and started to circle around for a better look. The others followed.

"But, who else could it be?" demanded Junior.

"King Morton Koopa," said Ludwig, catching sight of a plaque on the statue's marble base.

"_Morton_?" repeated Wendy in disbelief.

"But that doesn't make sense," frowned Lemmy.

"Shaddup guys, people are starting ta look," cautioned Roy, but he was too late. An official-looking Clubba was already approaching them.

"Oh, shit," hissed Wendy.

"I'll handle it," said Roy, stepping forward to meet the Clubba.

"Hello," said the lugubrious Koopa. He had blue skin, a white belly and a purple shell. His hair and lips were orange. He wore a black vest and hat, with a green bow-tie and a red vest. "My name's Trubba."

_Got that right_, thought Roy, before speaking. "I'm Roy and dese are my travellin' companions. We're just passin' trough dis town."

"Foreigners, eh? Whereya from? Has ta be far for you to not recognize our king, yesiree."

"What? No, no, you've got it all wrong. Ya see, we know Morton," said Roy. "But where we come from, his statues are kept _clean_."

Trubba's eyes narrowed menacingly. Realizing his mistake, Roy hurried to cover himself. "I mean, I'm not saying it's _yer_ fault: we don't have ta deal wid ocean spray and Goonie crap and such, but _dey're_ all art critics and're a bit testy about dese tings. It's _real_ annoying."

"Hey! Just because I have taste!" snapped Wendy, playing along perfectly.

"See what I mean?" sneered Roy.

Trubba laughed. "My brother Grubba's tells me about you artsy folk all the time, he says yer all a pain in the rumpus! Ya ever been ta Rougeport?"

"Yep, Grubba's your brother, huh? I love da Glitz Pit – some of my best moves were inspired by dem fightas. I considered enterin' but my Ma wouldn't let me. 'Said dere weren't enough Boom Booms in da world ta risk myself getting killed fer sport."

"Pity, pity," said Trubba, shaking his head. "You'd go far – I can tell. And my bro. loves rare species in his lineup: it brings a crowd. Lot's o' publicity, ya dig?"

"Yeah, well, we're tryin' ta keep a lower profile. Y'know, see da sights from an average shmo's perspective. It's dey're idea, I'm just da hired protection."

"I pity you. But if you've got the cash, there's some great art around Burt's Cove for your hippie charges. Heh heh, have a great time," with that Trubba smiled and marched off.

Once he disappeared down a side-street Iggy grinned. "Nice work Roy!"

"He didn't buy it," growled Roy.

"What? But we were great!" said Wendy, shocked.

"Doesn't matter, he's gone ta get da cops, I'm sure've it."

"But we haven't done anything wrong," said Lemmy, plaintively.

"Somesing's definitely wrong here," said Ludwig, looking darkly up at the Morton statue.

"And it just got worse," moaned Morton Jr. as a couple Koopatrols appeared in the direction Trubba had departed.

The Koopalings all turned in fear, but something caught Larry's eye. He turned to see another hooded figure, hiding in an alley and waving at him.

"I think that guy wants us to come with him," he said, alerting the others.

"What? We can't go with some strange, hooded character down a dark alley," protested Wendy.

"Vee have no choice, come on," said Ludwig, pushing past his sister and leading the Koopalings towards the figure. It slowly backed up down the alley, and as soon as they had all exited the plaza it turned and started running. The Koopalings pursued the figure, following them around a corner. This time, Roy brought up the rear, and as he turned the bend he looked back and saw the Koopatrols running across the clearing towards him.

-x-

The figure led them through a maze of alleys and streets. They met a few people, but they simply stepped out of the procession's way, and only a couple looked up at the commotion. Soon the figure ducked inside a doorway, Ludwig had misgivings about going into the dark room, but didn't pause to fret, knowing instinctively that danger was hot on the Koopalings' heels.

They toppled into the room and the stranger silently closed the door behind them, watching though a peephole as the Koopatrols obliviously ran right by and continued down the alley.

"That was close," he said, turning around. "Your story was good. Too bad old Trubba makes a living off of dishonesty: he's a walking lie-detector, that cad."

"If you don't mind us asking, who are you?" voiced Morton.

"And why'd you help us?" continued Junior.

The stranger pulled off his hood. He was a Hammer Bro. of some sort, but he didn't wear a helmet, and his matted, red, shoulder-length hair startled the Koopalings. "My name's Mark, I'll explain more upstairs – the Koopatrols might double back, and we CAN'T be overheard."

The Koopalings looked at each other uneasily, but as Mark started ascending the ladder leading to the second floor he smiled down at them. "Don't worry – if I planned to turn you in myself, I would've led you to the police station, not my shop. Come on, I'll get us some food."

"You got me," grinned Morton, springing forward and following Mark up the ladder with Junior close behind.

Roy scowled and followed his youngest brother, and the other Koopalings filled up after him. Iggy paused on his way up, looking over at Ludwig. "I know that face – what's wrong now?"

"I sink I know him from somevere," frowned Ludwig, nodding his head at hole in the ceiling leading to the second floor.

"Like that Mirror song?"

"Perhaps."

Iggy shrugged. "Well, we'll never know for sure unless we go up there." With that he continued his ascent, and after a moment, Ludwig followed.

-x-

The second floor was large and filled with clutter. The back of the house was all one room, with a door leading to the front. Mark appeared through this, having dropped his coat off in the bedroom. He set down a bowl of what looked like plain meatballs on the centre table saying: "Help yourselves. And make yourself at home. You can lower your hoods too, I know you're Dragon-Koopas."

"H-how?" stammered Wendy.

"Trubba," explained Mark. "He may've approached you because of the thing at the statue, but he stuck around profiling you because he could tell what you were. Though the Boom Boom cop-out was good: you guys are young enough to pull it of."

"You seem to know a lot about Dragon-Koopas," said Roy suspiciously, slipping off his cowl.

"Not really, I just know what young ones look like. Eat, I'll get some water… I'm afraid that's the best I can do."

"Don't worry, you don't even have to do that," smiled Morton, as he popped a meatball into his mouth.

Mark smiled sadly. "Oh, but I do." He disappeared into the other room, leaving the Koopalings to explore. He seemed to be a blacksmith, as there were a couple workbenches strewn with equipment and scraps of metal. There were a couple nearly-finished products here and there – most were intricate statues of various creatures: Sidesteppers, a Croctopus, Piranha Plants, a flight of Pidgits… He had a few personal ones too, it seemed. Ludwig was looking at a pretty silver stork on Mark's mantelpiece when he noticed a picture that took his breath away.

"What is it?" asked Lemmy, squinting at the photo. It was an old class photo; he couldn't pick out Mark, but another figure stood out like a sore thumb. She was tall and somber, wrapped in a dark scarf that covered her shoulders and chest. Her arms were crossed, and her hair was flawless. "Is that-"

"A Dragon-Koopa? Yes," said Mark, having reappeared. All the Koopalings watched as he walked over to Ludwig and Lemmy, took down the picture and sat in a chair next to the table. "Bowselta Parakay's her name, we were in the same class for a couple years. Then her parents died and she was run out of town. I never saw her again, until…" His voice almost seemed to catch in his throat as the let the sentence trail off.

"Vat happened?" asked Ludwig, fearing he knew the answer.

"You don't know? You _must_'ve traveled a long distance," said Mark sadly. "She was caught trying to steal a sword from the Royal Koopan Museum. Morton Koopa tortured her and killed her on the steps of his castle, supposedly to make a point that thieves wouldn't be tolerated. But most of us know he just hates anything that besmirches his species' _superior_ name."

The Koopalings were horrified. Their mother was dead? How was _that_ what she and Bowser needed? How did the Mirror think this would help them? Teach them to appreciate being _alive_?

"My mother took me to see it – she hated Bowselta for scarring her face. Mum had it coming though: she tried to steal Bowselta's mother's charm before they chased her away. Mother was one of the psychos cheering when Morton ran her through," Marks' hands were shaking as he bitterly recounted the horrors. "That's why I'm helping you: I don't want anyone else to suffer her fate. Wherever you're from, you've gotta go back."

He looked up at the Koopalings. Ludwig considered telling him the truth, telling him that somewhere, Bowselta was alive. But he knew he couldn't: it wasn't safe, for them or for Mark. The less he knew, the better. "Vee can't go back."

The others looked at Ludwig questioningly. He couldn't explain it, but he knew this horrible discovery wasn't the only reason the Magic Mirror sent them to that accursed dimension. Somehow, he knew the Mirror was still black.

"Why? Where are you from?"

"Overseas; our grandparents fled Morton's unification," lied Ludwig.

"Really? I thought Kaptain K. Rool killed them all…" mused Mark, fortunately missing the smirk Roy shot Iggy behind his back. "King K. Rool's not known for his honesty, but I don't see why he'd lie to boost his estranged brother's infamy; he gave up trying to convince people they were the same guy years ago."

"He killed _most_ of them," offered Morton. "The Kaptain, that is. Our parents died recently, so we have nowhere else to go."

"Vee're headed to Koopa Castle," continued Ludwig.

"Are you _crazy_?" gasped Mark. "After what I just told you, you should know that's the LAST place on the planet you wanna be. Go to the Waffle Kingdom, get on whatever boat brought you here and get down to Rougeport. Morton's forces aren't nearly as prominent there – you should be able to barter your way onto a merchant ship."

"Rougeport? Just how much larger is the Koopa Kingdom in this dim- I mean, time?" demanded Junior, catching himself at the last minute and struggling to make himself seem less suspicious: "Um, we were sorta isolated overseas."

Mark eyed Junior and the others wearily, but answered them straight up. "When your grandparents left it was just Dark Land, right? Well now the kingdom extends across the entire continent."

"What?" gaped the Koopalings. It made some sense: Bowser and Bowselta wanted the Koopas to rule the world, and they were well on their way to that goal in this dimension.

"The Alligator Archipelago and the Waffle Kingdom are the only things left, and as you _must_ know, Morton and King K. Rool made an alliance long ago. They'll probably take the Waffle Kingdom some time in the next couple years, but it's still your best bet for survival."

"Vee can't run," said Ludwig. "Vee have to finish vat vee set out to do."

Mark looked at him long and hard: the eyes, the hair – it was almost uncanny. "You remind me of…" he closed his eyes, and after a pause he nodded in acquiescence. "I'll help you. Eat up, the train'll be leaving in an hour. Leave everything to me."


	10. Escape

Chapter 9: Escape

Bowselta knew it was morning even though she couldn't see the sun. Today was the big day – not because of the impending jailbreak, but because of what happened 15 years ago. Bowselta wasn't a really a sentimental person, and she could care less about birthdays and holidays, but today did mean something: it was her anniversary. She had been stuck on Earth when her and Bowser's ten-year mark passed, so fifteen would have to do as the big one: a testament to their love and commitment.

Even as she formed the words in her mind, Bowselta wrinkled her snout at how corny it sounded. In the old days, all you had to do was jump in the sack to tie the knot, and the only proof that mattered was children, even if they only materialized a few years down the road. But with the rise of government and worldly possessions, paperwork soon became a staple of the process. Fortunately, the Koopas still kept to the basics: the paperwork consisted of a single piece of enchanted parchment upon which both parties copied the same lines, one on top of the other. It was ratified with the Koopan equivalent of a signature: a handprint. Whoever had the larger hand would go first, and the other would place theirs overtop. The inks would be different colours, and would dry so that each individual's handprint and writing could be clearly identified, if ever the need arose.

The contract basically stated what happened when someone died or got divorced: what was acceptable in that particular marriage and what was taboo. Bowser and Bowselta's was simple: "All things split 50/50 until death." Meaning divorce was out of the question, which was fitting, since Bowselta would simply kill Bowser if she grew tired of him. Kammy had supervised the signing; there were no other witnesses.

Bowselta thought it was all a bit silly: she had decided to spend her life with Bowser long before they put it in written words, and she and Bowser had already consummated their relationship three months before their "wedding". But it was much easier to just go by the formal date, as opposed to the "engagement" anniversary, as Bowselta euphemistically labeled it. So, today was the day, and she was still behind bars.

Finally she heard the distant patter of bare feet on the cement floor. She stood up and was waiting at the door by the time Fawful sprinted into view. "I am being HERE!"

"You are being _late_," growled Bowselta.

"The Princess of Stupid Peaches sleeps with the lightness of an ant made of feathers," explained Fawful irately. "I could only have the stealing of the key when she was in the showering."

"Why'd _she_ have the key anyway?" asked Bowselta, as skeptical as ever.

"How should _I_ have the knowing of this?" said Fawful. "But that is being beside the point. I am needing your charm of expensiveness firstly! You have seen the key – the brine for the cucumber of our deal, soon to become the delicious pickle of victory against the cavities who are Red, Green, and _Pink_. Freedom is upon the one who is you! But _now_ is the handing over of the charm."

Bowselta sighed and slid the leather strap over her head, handing it through the bars to the young Bean. "Rururu, it is having the beauty of a plumber that is encrusted in diamonds."

"How is _that_ beautiful?" snorted Bowselta, as the snickering boy fiddled with the lock across the hallway.

"Becausing, if a plumber is being encrusted in the diamonds, they are not being _alive_ as well."

"That's… rather morbid, actually – I like it!" said Bowselta, opening the door and stepping through the deactivated barrier. "It makes me sorry for what happens next."

"What are you-" Fawful was cut off as Bowselta's hand closed over his face. Frozen in astonishment, he was unable to prevent the Koopa Queen from wresting her charm from his slackened hand and hurling him into the open cell. He activated his headgear and shot forward before he could hit the ground, but as Wario had done to her, so to did Bowselta slam the door in Fawful's face.

"Gaahhh!" cried Fawful, bouncing off the forcefield, "I HAVE FURY! How could you have the betraying of me?"

"Simple," said Bowselta, slipping her pendant around her neck once more. "This charm's got too much sentimental value for me to just trade away." As she spoke, the queen reached forward and snapped Wario's handcuffs onto the cell door.

"What is that being?" demanded Fawful.

"You've been a big help Fawful: I never would've gotten out of there without you, and I certainly don't want the Mushroomians to catch you," with that, Bowselta unlocked the cell and deactivated the forcefield; now the handcuffs were solely responsible for keeping Fawful detained. "It took me a couple minutes to pick those – you shouldn't fare much worse. You might even manage to break them with your helmet-thing, though it'll take a while – they're very heavy-duty."

"I have confusion!" shrieked Fawful.

"You'll be long-gone before any guards come this way, but I'll be gone too. I can't have you stopping me from escaping, but feel free to stop by the Koopa Kingdom and I'll be happy to reward you for your services," said Bowselta brightly as she started down the hall. "Just… not with my charm."

"Grrr! FINK QUEEN!" spat Fawful, as Bowselta ran out of earshot. He growled in frustration and sat down to begin work on the handcuffs. He could see she was right in that they wouldn't take him much time, but he muttered darkly as he worked all the same. She'd regret double-crossing him, one way or another. "Grr, I HAVE FURY!"

-xxx-

Bowselta sprinted through the dungeons. She didn't meet any guards until she reached the stairs: alerted by her echoing steps, an unlucky Toad guard appeared at the landing, and was roasted for his troubles. Bowselta barreled through the other guards that came running, clearing the hallway with a barrage of her deadly flares. Once she knew reinforcements weren't immediately on their way, she turned her attention to the cells.

To her pleasure, Kammy and Bowser were the first prisoners Bowselta found.

"Your Freeness!" cried Kammy as the Koopa Queen unlocked the cell with her skeleton key. Bowser was still unconscious.

"How is he? The last thing I heard from Peach wasn't very cheery," said Bowselta, kneeling beside her husband.

"Oh don't worry, he's fine now," reassured Kammy. "The potion worked – as usual – and while he won't be ready to fight just yet, he should be up and about any time now."

"I'll deal with him, you free the soldiers," ordered Bowselta, handing Kammy her little gold skeleton key. "Are there many left with the Toad doctors?"

Kammy shook her head. "His Debilitatedness was the last patient to be discharged, as it were."

"Good. Have some soldiers stand guard for more Toads, or worse. Once enough are free, have them start to move out with the able-bodied fighters in the lead, protecting the wounded troops. Don't worry about reclaiming the weapons: just get outside and to the Koopa Cruiser. Bowser and I will be with you shortly.

"Yes, Your Domineeringness," saluted Kammy, scurrying out of the cell as fast as she could.

Bowselta turned her attention to Bowser. She shook his shoulder and hissed his name, but he remained oblivious. Growling she moved in front of him and grabbed his face in her hands, lifting it off the ground as she screamed, "BOWSER!"

He jerked to consciousness, and jumped at how close Bowselta's snout was to his. "What the- what's going on? What happened?"

"You swallowed a bomb and blew up," said Bowselta, releasing her mate's cheeks and hoisting him to his feet by his arms.

"I- That's… sorta familiar," said Bowser, though he still looked confused.

"We were all captured, but I escaped – it's a long story. Kammy's getting the others out, can you walk?"

"Urgh," Bowser was still leaning on Bowselta heavily. "I feel like crap."

"Don't we all? Now answer the question."

"I... think," Bowser slowly took his weight off Bowselta. He swayed in place for a movement, but took a hesitant step nonetheless. He brought his foot down harder than usual, but felt confident enough to continue with another stride. The third brought him to the door to the cell. "I think I can manage," he said.

"Well, you're gonna have to be faster than that," said Bowselta, taking the king by the arm and dragging him forward into the hall. The Koopas were already moving out, Kammy wasn't even there anymore.

With a grunt Bowser set off after his troops, wrenching his arm from his wife's grip and thudding down the hall. She caught up and by the time they reached the stairs Bowser was back too his old self. "Oh yeah! I'm gonna pummel that Wario! To think, I actually worked _with_ him and Waluigi a couple times."

"Yes, yes. But all we're doing _now_ is escaping, mind you," warned Bowselta.

Bowser grumbled as they started up the stairs, but sounds of a battle ahead wiped the scowl from his face. Bowselta doubled her speed and joined the Koopas keeping the Toad guards at bay while their injured comrades rushed, unmolested, through the castle. While the Koopas were unarmed, they still held their own in hand-to-hand combat with the pitiful Toads, though Bowselta was all too happy to relieve them of their charges. She finished off each guard that survived her soldiers, except one, who Bowser squished.

"You really shouldn't be fighting," scolded Bowselta.

"What? I got 'em didn't I? And I didn't have to use any magical abilities or anything," huffed Bowser.

"Good: you're still recovering from the explosion, and unnecessarily straining your body is a bad idea."

"Pbbfftt, you sound like Kammy!" joked Bowser.

Bowselta rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'll go ahead and knock out more guards. Think you can handle bringing up the rear and picking up any of our soldiers who get injured?"

"Hurt by the _Toads_? As if!" mocked Bowser.

"Peach could get involved, and who knows where Daisy, Wario or the Marios are. That's why we gotta be fast."

"Okay okay, I'll bring up the rear," surrendered Bowser as he and Bowselta started after the group of Koopas. "But if I get attacked I'm not just gonna run away like a sissy."

"Just be careful," snapped Bowselta, speeding up as another skirmish became visible through the doorway.

-x-

Bowser burst into sunlight through the backdoor of Mushroom Castle. Ahead he could see Bowselta blasting more Toads in the garden. As the Koopas neared the Cruiser, the smell of blood became quite prevalent. The place was still pock-marked with bomb craters, and Bowser was pretty sure he caught a glimpse of the spot he blew up. He felt a bit nauseous contemplating the chunky, brownish-red debris that still glistened in the sun.

"Bowser, watch out!" cried Bowselta. The King of the Koopas looked over his shoulder, but what he saw didn't ease his mind: the Mario bros. had just appeared via. Warp Pipe.

The soldiers were already boarding the Koopa Cruiser. All the Toads in the garden were lying dead or comatose in the grass, or cowering in fear behind the bushes, but Bowselta knew how fast those plumbers were. She ran over to Bowser. "Get inside the ship and help dispatch the Toads. Try to throw them out the windows, I'd rather we avoid this sort of mess inside our own property." With that she waved her hand over the ruined garden.

Bowser growled. "No way, I'm not running from Mario. And I'm not leaving you to fight him alone."

"Don't make this about me," snorted Bowselta. "They'll flatten you in your state."

"What state? I'm fine!"

"You're _never_ fine after those sorta death experiences. You're drained, and pale-"

"That's just cause my guts are lying all over that hill!"

"You see? You've been through hell, now go before they send you back," snarled Bowselta, taking her eyes off Mario and Luigi's approaching forms to glare at Bowser.

But he wasn't having any of it, and stared her down. Suddenly an explosion drew both their gazes back to the plumber twins.

"What the-" they gasped in unison upon seeing the black smoke that now engulfed the Mario bros. and hid the entire castle from view. Suddenly Kammy and a wave of Magikoopas appeared on their broomsticks through the cloud.

"Your Startlednesses!" called the Chief Advisor. "I'm sorry to say I disregarded your orders and went back for our weapons. Us Magikoopas are useless without our wands, you see."

"Nice going Kammy!" responded Bowselta, before turning back to Bowser. "Now we can both get to the Cruiser."

"But that couldn't've finished off Mario," protested Bowser. "Now's our chance-"

Bowselta shook her head. "No, the Stars'll probably resurrect him, or Peach will show up, or Wario. We'd better not push our luck. They could even be relatively unharmed, just momentarily delayed. Kammy bought us time, not victory: getting out of here's the best we can do."

"That's quitter talk," growled Bowser. "Don't you want revenge?"

"Of course!" spat Bowselta. "But I have the sense to know I won't be getting it today. Now _move_ – or we'll leave you behind."

Without waiting for a response, Bowselta turned and sprinted towards the Koopa Cruiser. It took Bowser a moment to follow.


	11. Arrival

Chapter 10: Arrival

The Koopalings sat amongst the piles of wooden crates in one of the boxcars of the trans-Dark Land express. They couldn't believe it was only that morning that they had been sucked through the Magic Mirror: so much had happened. Somehow, Mark managed to get the Koopalings onto the train without incident. He wasn't keen on sharing his secrets, but he did let on that he had long ago been given the keys to the station so he could get his valuable wares onto the train with ease.

"So… do you guys think he suspected that we were, you know, Mum's kids?" ventured Morton, breaking the silence that had filled the train car ever since Mark wished them luck and locked the door behind him.

"Maybe," said Ludwig, recalling the Hammer Bro.'s sudden change of heart in how to deal with his mysterious houseguests. "Zere vas some sort of recognition in his face, but zere's no vay he could've guessed zee trusz: it's too far-fetched."

"I thought he was sorta creepy, with that picture of Mom and all," said Wendy.

"He bullied her ven zey vere little, and now she's dead. Zat's reason enough to have regrets," shrugged Ludwig.

"I think Mark has a thing for Mom, actually," interjected Lemmy.

"Don't you mean, 'had'?" sneered Junior.

"Shh, I wanna hear what Lemmy has to say," said Morton. "Cuz I sorta got those vibes too."

"Really?" asked Lemmy, surprised someone was actually agreeing with him.

Morton nodded, but it was Iggy who spoke next. "Mom's told me about Mark before – about how he only bullied her when others were around."

"So, in private they were, like, secret friends?" said Wendy, intrigued by the gossip, even it was just about her mother.

Iggy shook his head. "No, Mom doesn't remember ever getting along with him, she just remembered him _not_ being a jerk sometimes."

"Really? Oh, he _totally_ liked her, then," squealed Wendy.

"What?" scoffed Junior. "That's crazy!"

"Nu-uh, boys are WAY immature: they can't deal with their feelings like normal people and instead they bully the girls they like."

"You're just sexist!" huffed Junior.

"I dunno, I _have_ heard that before," mused Iggy. "And just look at King Dad: he heckles Kammy all the time, but he really does like her."

"But not like _that_," said Junior, disgusted by the mere thought. "And he never bullied Mama Peach."

"Oh no, he just kidnapped her all hours of zee day and night," snorted Ludwig.

"I wonder if Mum ever felt anything in return…" interrupted Morton before Junior could make a retort to Ludwig's assertion. "I mean, if she could remember him from so long ago that's gotta mean something."

"Mom knows better than to like a jerk," said Larry quietly.

"Mark wasn't _that_ bad," shrugged Morton. "And King Dad's got his moments too."

"But not to her," said Lemmy.

"Yeah, she'd kill him if he tried," grinned Iggy. "And besides, Mark's an adult now – he's grown out of his days of being the schoolyard bully, he admitted he was immature himself."

"But what about her old plane, the _Mark __II_, that's gotta mean something too," insisted Morton.

"'Mark' as in 'Mark 1', 'Mark 2', 'Mark 3'. Not as in Mark Mallet. Her first plane design vas zee _KoopaCord_, her second attempt vas zee _Mark __II_, nossing more," interjected Ludwig.

"But she didn't call the _KoopaCord _'_Mark __I_', or the _7-Koopa-7_ '_Mark __III_'," reminded Morton.

"Actually, I've seen the blueprints: those _were_ the working titles, and she came up with the final names later. I asked about the _Mark __II_ and she said she couldn't think of something that sounded better," said Iggy.

"Because deep down, she liked Mark," insisted Morton.

"Okay guys, let's just stop talking about this now. I though _Mark_ was creepy, but at least he doesn't sit around talking about his mother's love life," huffed Wendy.

"You were part of the discussion too," leered Morton.

"Yeah, but she always talks about that sorta stuff," shrugged Lemmy. "And yeah, it _is_ a bit creepy, Morton. You might wanna hold off asking Mom about it when we get back, too: I doubt she'd take it well."

"_If_ we get back," said Junior soberly.

The boxcar fell silent once more.

-xxx-

The Koopalings peered between the wooden boards walling the car as the train pulled into the Castle Town, surprised to see the buildings maintained and the streets filled with civilians.

"Makes sense," shrugged Ludwig, as he stepped back and pulled on his cloak. "Zee town vas abandoned because Morton's Castle vas destroyed, and no vone wanted to hang around vit zee 'ghosts', or vatever. No castle collapse, no abandoned village."

"'No abandoned _city_' is more like it," commented Morton. "I can't wait to see what the place is like when it's not a ghost town."

"Just remember ta keep a low profile dis time," growled Roy. "So no gawking at da statues."

"Vee're coming to a stop," said Ludwig. "Qvickly, like Mark planned." He pulled out his wand and with a flick unlocked the door at the end of the boxcar. He led the Koopalings out onto the coupling between the train cars and hopped down onto the ground. They scuttled along beneath the platform and with another spell, Ludwig had the chain-link fence barring the way to the streets bent back to allow the Koopalings passage. He then locked the train's door behind them, and restored the fence as well. They had to crouch as they went, so that the hems of their cloaks wiped away their tracks.

They made their way into the city without suspicion, though this time they stuck to the backstreets.

"How are we gonna get a hold of Papa?" demanded Junior, as Ludwig led the group through the twisting and bustling alleys.

"More importantly, where are we gonna spend the night?" whined Wendy. "The sun's gonna be below the cloudline any minute."

"And I'm hungry," added Morton.

"Vee have money: vee'll get a room in some hotel," shrugged Ludwig.

"What if dey wanna know what species we are?" hissed Roy, after making sure no one was in earshot.

"Vee're Shamans," shrugged Ludwig. "Hiding out faces is part of our practice, vee should not be turned avay for it." Mark had been kind enough to give the Koopalings scarves that covered their snouts: only their eyes were visible; and as long as they kept their hands inside their cloaks, not even Trubba could identify them as Dragon-Koopas. Ludwig had already told everyone about the Shaman excuse, but it was Roy's nature to be wary.

"Where are we going anyway?" asked Lemmy.

"The castle?" asked Junior, miffed that his earlier question had gone unanswered.

"Close," said Ludwig, as a final twist in the road revealed a spectacular site ahead. The Koopalings lined up along the guardrail; beyond it, the cliff dropped straight down into the simmering red lava. The castle across the molten moat was nothing like the one the Koopalings knew: it was tall and pointed, black and ominous. Baleful light poured from some of the barred windows, blood red flags flew from the steeples, twisting and cracking in the wind.

Wendy shivered. "It's so archaic. I'd die if we didn't have glass on the windows back home."

"Yeah, but we don't live over a pool of open lava," responded Iggy, trying to maintain the travelling Shaman charade.

"Yeah, quit bein' so stupid," growled Roy.

"Is it just me, or is this one smaller?" voiced Junior.

"It's just taller: ours is shaped like a box, but zis is more like a cluster of jagged rocks," explained Ludwig. "But zee bases are zee same size – See how zee valls still come up right to zee edge?"

"Spare us the architecture-101 spiel, _please_," groaned Wendy.

"Hey! Look! There, on the path from the castle!" exclaimed Lemmy, pointing to the ridge of land connecting the castle's island-like plateau to the "mainland" and the city. There was a large group of guards marching to town; the Koopalings didn't see them earlier because they were so busy looking at the castle. But now they could clearly see the reddening twilight glinting on the spears and helmets of Koopatrol guards; and in the midst of the metal they saw a flash of red, and a spiked green shell.

"It's him!" cried Junior.

"Be quiet," scolded Ludwig. "Zat's no vay for a Shaman to behave."

"Doncha see? Now's our chance to talk to him! Come on!"

"We can't just run up to da Koopa Prince and ask fer a little 1-on-8 chat," said Roy derisively.

"There's already a crowd forming," said Iggy, craning his neck. "It won't hurt to go."

"And we might find people to talk to other than Bowser," added Larry. "He's not the only one our magic can help."

Ludwig was glad at least _some_ of his siblings enjoyed playing along. And they _did_ have some valid points. "All right, let's go."

-xxx-

By the time they navigated their way to the main road, the place was packed. Terrapins were standing at attention, ringing an elevated stone podium. Bowser hadn't arrived with his guards yet, but word of the approaching procession had obviously been spread, and the people discussed it in curious whispers. The Koopalings hung back at the mouth of the side street they had followed to the scene. A couple people looked them over, but no one paid them a second glance.

"I wonder what this is all about," said Morton, straining to eavesdrop on a couple Koopa Troopas talking nearby.

Ludwig opened his hidden mouth to respond when the first of the Koopatrols entered the square. Some of the talking stopped, but others became louder in a frantic attempt to finish their conversation before the Koopa Prince arrived.

Suddenly Bowser passed between the stone markers flanking the entrance to the city. He hopped up the stage's steps, giving the Koopalings their first good look at him. He was certainly different than in their dimension: his hair was a bit longer and it looked rather frazzled and mangy, he was also thinner and lacked the air of authority the Koopalings knew so well. He didn't wear the spiked collar, and his bare neck made him look all the more skinny; his face was more youthful too: his forehead didn't bulge out between his red-orange eyebrows, and he had big, watery _blue_ eyes.

Ludwig breathed in sharply: that wasn't his father.

"Attention, people of KCC!" announced the Dragon-Koopa. His voice was higher and clearer than Bowser's gravely baritone, and his attempt to showboat to the crowd was embarrassing. "Okay, so we've received some shocking news," continued the Dragon-Koopa, once the crowd had fallen silent. "There was an incident down at... er… some fishing village in the south, and we believe the fugitives stowed away aboard the train, and are here, in this very city!"

"Fugitives?" gasped Wendy, aghast. Fortunately she wasn't the only one who voiced their surprise, though as the Dragon-Koopa cleared his throat the crowd fell silent once more.

"They were claiming they were Boom Booms, and wore tattered black cloaks, according to our sources…" Ludwig breathed a sigh of relief that he had insisted they fixed the edges of their cloaks and magically dyed them dark blue, purple and green on the train. Otherwise, he was sure the surrounding folks would turn accusingly towards the Koopalings in an instant. "…and their crimes are fleeing from the Koopa Troop, and stowing aboard the train. We have reason to believe they are trespassers and thieves as well, so if anyone has seen anything suspicious-"

"That won't be necessary, Luke," rang a voice from behind the Koopalings, cutting off the Dragon-Koopa on the podium. The Koopalings and the surrounding citizens swung around in surprise, discovering a second Dragon-Koopa standing in the street, a wand in her hand and a row of Koopatrols at her back. The guards had spears pointed at the crowd, and the Dragon-Koopa had her scepter pointed at the Koopalings.

Seeing the flash of metal, Ludwig instinctively drew his own wand from Hammerspace, being able to do it in a gesture not unlike drawing a sword, as opposed to having to reach over his shoulder like inexperienced Koopas. But even with his slight-of-hand, the Dragon-Koopa saw the move and with a violent slash of her wand sent a bolt of fire at the eldest Koopaling. The others yelped and jumped out of the way, and Ludwig barely sidestepped the move, only to be clipped by a second shot.

He grimaced as his sleeve caught fire, singeing his hand and loosening his grip. In an instant the wand had been ripped from his claws and magically flew into the Dragon-Koopa's outstretched hand. With a flourish she arced both scepters up into the air, making the Koopaling's cloaks fly over their heads and rip into pieces as they went. Totally exposed, the children soon realized in horror that they couldn't lower their arms, as the Dragon-Koopa magically held them above their heads, her wand glowing and her face twisted into a cruel grin.

She chucked and lowered the hand that held Ludwig's wand (which she had left hanging over her head for a moment after using it to disrobe the Koopalings). "Silly baby, I'm the best spell-caster of our breed since Alastor Magripa – my great-grandfather."

If the situation hadn't been so dire, and if his hand wasn't blistered and stinging, Ludwig would have smirked at her conceited remark. Not just because it, her voice and demeanor in general were identical to Wendy's, but because he was Alastor's great-great-grandson, and her attempts to intimidate him with her ancestry were in vain. Lemmy's middle name was even 'Alastor'.

Actually, the Dragon-Koopa bore almost as much similarities to Lemmy as she did to Wendy: like him she had red eyes, matching eyebrows and rainbow hair, though hers was straight and shoulder-length. Her feet were bare like Bowselta's, but she wasn't nearly as built, being tall and slender, with a fairly small bust. She wore gold cuffs on her wrists, also like Bowselta, but what was around her neck was even more disturbing: the blue Paratroopa shell charm, its leather strap doubled around its new owner's neck, turning it into a choker, rather than a necklace.

Ludwig was so busy scrutinizing the sorceress (who was, in turn looking him and his siblings over) he didn't even notice the renewed muttering in the crowd, or the shuffling of feet as the first Dragon-Koopa, Luke, made his way onto the scene.

"Nice going, sis!" he grinned, stepping up behind Ludwig.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," she sneered.

"Hey, I distracted them," he defended.

"Yeah, but not on purpose."

"We knew that's what would happen," said Luke.

"Which is why I insisted on sneaking around the long way while your yammering kept them busy," smirked the Dragon-Koopa witch.

"You see? I _did_ do something," grinned her brother.

She rolled her eyes, and lowered her gaze to Ludwig. "As I said before, there was no way you could have seriously thought you stood a chance against me. Though I have to admit, I'm impressed with that draw of yours. Must've taken a lot of practice." With that she idly twirled Ludwig's wand, all the while keeping her right arm immobile in the air, holding her captives in place. "Anyway, we don't want any more surprises, now do we? So… Kamek!"

The Magikoopa swooped down from the rooftops the moment she barked his name. He looked the same as he had in the Koopaling's dimension before Bowselta killed him. "Yes, Princess Alexis?"

"Block their Hammerspace magic," she ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," said Kamek, waving his own wand in the Koopalings' direction and muttering a complex incantation.

Immediately Ludwig felt the spell's effects: it was like a suffocating veil had descended on him, clouding his mind. He looked at the others, Wendy, Lemmy, Iggy, Larry and Junior were clearly as discomforted as him, though Roy and Morton looked slightly less bothered. Kamek lowered his wand as its tip dimmed, the claustrophobia also fell away from the Koopalings, but Ludwig knew the spell's effects remained.

"Great, now…" with another wave of Ludwig's wand, Alexis materialized eight sets of magic handcuffs out of thin air. "Guards!" The Koopatrols instantly stepped forward and took the restrains from where they hung in the air, strapping them around each of the Koopaling's wrists. "And the finishing touch-" Alexis wiggled the scepter through the air; in its wake appeared a winding chain which she then sent slithering through the handcuffs. After each Koopaling was secure, she finally lowered her wand.

"Show off," growled Luke.

"Aww, here," said Alexis condescendingly, handing her brother the end of the chain. "_You_ can led them all the way to the castle. You can even keep them once we're inside." She turned away from her fuming brother and smiled at Ludwig mirthlessly. "And thanks for the wand – I've always wanted two." With a final flick of the wrist she sucked both scepters into her Hammerspace, relishing the look of anger in the Koopaling's face.

She laughed and turned her gaze Lemmy, who did his best not to shrink from the witch. "I'll take that, too," she said, suddenly kicking out and sending Lemmy's ball ricocheting back, bouncing off Luke's head and into Alexis' outstretched hand.

"Hey! That hurt!" snapped Luke, holding a claw up to his right eye and massaging his offended brow.

"Sorry," said Alexis, not meaning it in the slightest as she tossed Lemmy's ball up and down in her hand. "It _feels_ like a normal rubber ball, but I wonder…"

"It _is_ normal," said Lemmy, uncomfortably standing on the pavement with his bare feet. "I need it to walk, I've got balance issues."

"Poor you," mocked Alexis, before looking to her brother and waving a hand towards the castle. "Why are you just standing around? Lead the way."

Luke scowled and ordered the guards to keep the crowd at bay while they headed back to the castle. As they were led through the square, the Koopalings finally started registering what the crowd was saying.

"See? Dragon-Koopas."

"Naw, couldn't be."

"Koopa have mercy."

"Why'd they come here?"

"Idiots, don't they know what happened to _her_?"

"Heh heh, I'd be surprised if we see 'em again."

"Oh no, the king would never let an opportunity like this go to waste."

"But they're just kids."

"Who cares?"

"Poor bastards."

Ludwig didn't dare look at the citizens, he just kept his eyes glued to Luke's back, trying desperately to think of some way they could escape. But as they left the city and started on the bridge, the castle looming in front of them, its shadows cast long and black by the red sun, burning between the volcanoes on the horizon, Ludwig's mind was blank. All that was left was terror and the smell of blood.


	12. Discovery

**A/N****: Just a quick note about my latest OCs. I think it's only fair to say Luke is based off Nuka, the Outlander brother in the Disney film, **_**The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride**_**. I'm pretty sure Alexis is original, though how she wears Bowselta's charm was inspired by Katara's necklace, in the Nickelodeon TV series **_**Avatar: The last Airbender**_**. Also, the Koopatrol Spiky Tom (who was mentioned much earlier) is from **_**Paper Mario**_**. I've never played the game personally, but I liked the name and have sorta adopted the character as my own, as you will see in this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Discovery

The Koopa Cruiser eased into the Koopa Castle hanger, its engines burning brightly – in no way reflecting the state of its exhausted passengers. Its hull was stained by blood and vim, and there was a little damage here and there, but the ground crew were shocked at the conditions of the warriors stumbling forth from the hatches. The Magikoopas had done their best to heal the injuries – be they from the day before or that morning's escape – but they were fighters, not Medikoopas, and their patch jobs were not easy on the eyes at all.

Scariest of all was the amount of Koopas that didn't come back. In their flight to freedom, the survivors had no time to collect their dead, many of which would have required the use of a bucket. Bowselta stormed off the ship, Bowser hot on her heels, still a bit groggy, but aching to get away from the smell of curdling vim, crusted blood, and the occasional pool of vomit. It had not been a fun 24 hours.

Clearly freaked-out guards scuttled towards the royal Koopas as they made their way across the hanger, but Bowselta sent them to bring Medikoopas before they got a chance to speak. The look on her face was more than enough to ensure instant obedience.

They reached the hallway and Bowselta turned right, not even pausing to let Bowser catch his breath. She wanted to get away, she wanted to scream, she wanted to rip Mario limb from limb.

"Your Majesties-" began a Koopatrol.

"Go get more Magikoopas, the doctors are on their way but they might need help transporting the wounded to the medical wing," barked Bowselta.

"Oh course, but-"

"Now!" Bowselta stormed past Spiky Tom (who else would try and speak up against her in such a foul mood?) and Bowser gave him an apologetic grimace as he followed his irate wife.

"King Bowser, the-"

"You might want to get the Janitors down there too – the Cruiser stinks," called the Koopa King as he mounted the first flight of stairs leading away from the sub-level hangers.

Tom gritted his teeth. _Should I just let them find out on their own? I tried to tell them so they couldn't really get mad, but Bowser's not the most reasonable guy in the world and Bowselta looks murderous. Or, what if some poor random guard has to break the news? Could I let that happen? But if I follow them I'd be just as toast…_ He moaned and ran off to get some more help for the Koopa Cruiser, resolving to follow his king and queen once their orders were upheld. It wasn't the safest thing to do, but he doubted they wouldn't want the hassle of training a new Chief of Home Defense on top of all the other problems. Or at least, he _hoped_ that was the case.

-xxx-

The first set of stairs brought the Dragon-Koopas to the dungeon level. The cells themselves were dark and empty, but the level also housed the plumbing, coolers, heaters, generators – that sorta stuff. The landing also had a second set of stairs leading down to the library, records rooms and deep storage but Bowselta turned and ascended the next flight. They were in the left stairwell – that is, to one's left when one was sitting on the throne; there was an identical one to the right, though the basement landing only had one descending path, and that had been blocked off years ago. Up went Bowser and Bowselta, around and around. It wasn't a spiral staircase like some "prissy" castles favored (in Bowser's words), but a square one, with alternating stairs and landings.

Bowselta had reached the state of exhaustion where even mundane things such as the architecture of Castle Koopa stuck out of her mind, yet bore as little relevancy to her as the looks of horror on the castle's staff that passed her on the stairs. Kammy had healed every cut and burn that hadn't fixed itself the night before, but Bowselta still looked like crap. Her hair was matted, her scales were covered in blood, the larger wounds still left visible marks in her skin, and her eyes were bloodshot. Behind her, Bowser was as horrid a sight: he was limping and breathing heavily from all the climbing; he wasn't as dirty and smelly as Bowselta, but that was about it.

Three flights of stairs later and the pair of Dragon-Koopas reached the top floor of the castle. Only now did Bowselta allow herself to pause and wait for Bowser, who nearly collapsed on the landing. "Tell me again, w-_gasp_-why we don't have-_gasp_-escavators in this-_gasp_-place yet."

"There's no room to put _escalators_, except maybe in the interior chambers, but the costs and set backs would outweigh the benefits-"

"No, no, not the-_gasp_-moving staircase things. The-_gasp_-the up-down ones," struggled Bowser, who was feeling more bemused about life than usual.

"Elevators?"

"Yeah."

"We do have them, there's one on the west side to move food and stores to and from the kitchens, and there's one in the south for the medical stuff."

"Then why didn't we-_gasp_-use them to g-_gasp_-get up here?" demanded Bowser irately, slowly recovering from the climb.

"I didn't want to walk through the entire main floor, for one thing. Anyway, we should get a move on, I don't want one of the kids coming upon us like _this_," said Bowselta, turning and walking down the hall.

Bowser growled and started after his wife, motivated to keep pace by his need to complain some more, "well then we_-gasp-_should install an elevator coming up from-_gasp_-the hangers."

"We already have one coming up from the hanger bay," said Bowselta nonchalantly.

"What?" Bowser nearly exploded with rage, before wincing at the renewed pounding in his skull. Bowselta didn't stop to see why he fell behind; she didn't even look back. It was their anniversary, yet she was more distant than usual. It confused Bowser… But not as much as the elevator thing. "Why didn't we use it then?" he growled, catching up with Bowselta once more.

"It's a _cargo_ elevator."

"So?"

"So, what would people say if we took _that_ to get up here?" said Bowselta, scrunching up her nose in contempt.

"Since when did you care about people's opinions?" asked Bowser, having finally regained his breath.

"Since we just lost _spectacularly_ again, halved our army once more, got the survivors captured, got you killed…" Bowselta nearly threw her arms up in exasperation as she rounded the corner and turned south, down the western corridor. "I'm surprised we haven't faced a coup yet, or a protest, or a massive walk-out of citizens."

"Army recruitment's at an all time low," offered Bowser.

"That's my point. If we take the elevator while everyone else is walking, we look weak… or at least, we look _weaker_," the hall was deserted: it housed the Magikoopa studies, and they were all down below in the medical wing. It was for the best: Bowselta was glad she wouldn't be overheard.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad. I mean, we've been losing for years, it's not a big deal," said Bowser, a weak smile on his face.

"You just don't get it!" spat Bowselta. "It's not a good thing we've been losing for years; it doesn't make our current failure seem less spectacular. Sure it's not a sharp blow to the kingdom like in the old days, but it's still another nail in our coffins."

"What do you-"

"One of these days, the people are gonna realize we are leading them into the ground. They resent us now, but soon they'll hate us," Bowselta had finally stopped walking, and was staring at Bowser.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he whined, quailing under her glare.

"Win!" Bowselta nearly screamed it. "I want _us_ to win. I want Mario dead, I want the Stars gone, I want the _humans_ gone."

"I-"

"But, that's not going to happen anytime soon," she said bitterly, smiling sarcastically. "So, right _now_, I want a bath. I want to forget what just happened, hell, I wanna forget _everything_." She held her hands to her temples, backing a step away from Bowser before turning and starting back down the hall.

-xxx-

"I said, go AWAY!" bellowed Bowser, lying spread-eagled on the bed.

"But sire-"

"Don't make me get up!" roared the Koopa King, grabbing a book from Bowselta's bedside table and hurling it at the door. He instantly regretted it, since Bowselta was rather defensive about her books, but it seemed to work, as Spiky Tom no longer called out from behind the paneling.

Bowser sighed. The Chief had been trying to talk to him and Bowselta for the better part of ten minutes. It didn't sound like a lot, but to Bowser, it was. He looked over at the pile of things he had thrown at the door. His bracers lay strewn on the ground, and a clock, and now Bowselta's book. It had landed spine-up, and the pages were splayed on the ground. Bowser moaned: he'd pay dearly if the book got warped; so with a grunt, he pushed himself onto his knees and crawled to the edge of the bed.

He was still a bit sluggish, but the lie-down had eased his aching body, and arguing with Tom had cleared his head. In fact, as he bent down and lifted the book from the floor, a thought occurred to him. He mutely placed the book back on the table and walked through the door leading to the next room. Here Bowselta floated in her and Bowser's bathtub. Her charm lay at the side of the basin; and she lay with her head on the rim, her neck arched backwards and her eyes closed. The muck and grime was gone from her skin, and the stress was drained from her face. Her body was limp: her legs spread and her arms floating to either side of her body. Bowser could see the entire length of her form – every curve of chest and belly, and where the yellow scutes gave way to the green of her tail.

Usually Bowser's mind would have drifted to carnal matters at that point, but these weren't usual circumstances. She was still tired by the looks of it, and he was still a bit stiff, but… there _wasn't_ a better cure-all in existence than Dragon-on-Dragon action… And, the tub _was_ one of their favorite venues, and it _was_ their anniversary… Actually, Bowser's head was now _filled_ with sordid thoughts, but Bowselta's next words brought him back to reality: "So did whoever was knocking at the door finally leave?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so."

"Good, all the yelling and banging was giving me a headache."

"Actually," ventured Bowser. "I'm sorta surprised Tom's the only one who's been bothering us."

"Spiky Tom?"

"Yeah."

"Hmmm," Bowselta drifted off again, having never opened her eyes.

Bowser cleared his throat. "I mean, I would've thought Ludwig've come up and tried to see us by now."

Bowselta gave a half-hearted attempt at a shrug. "He can just talk to Kammy: she'll know we'd want some time to cool off."

"Yeah, but most of the kids aren't as reasonable as Ludwig," continued Bowser. "I know Junior never listens to him, and Morton's a gossip-monger…"

"Hmmm," said Bowselta, falling silent once more. Then suddenly her eyes flew open. "That _is_ weird." She looked over at Bowser. "And Tom's being a bit more adamant than usual," she stood up in the tub as she continued speaking. "Scratch that, he's _never_ adamant with us. Not unless there was a huge problem, and then Roy'd be there knocking at our door too."

She pulled herself out of the water, and made for the door.

"What about-"

"Come on!" ordered Bowselta. Bowser looked over at the charm, still abandoned on the floor, but as always, followed Bowselta without another word.

The Queen of the Koopas flung open the door, eliciting a startled yelp from Kammy, who was about to knock on it. She landed on her butt beside Tom, who was staring up at Bowselta with a look of terror on his face. And with good reason: she towered over the Koopatrol, her blazing eyes wide and partially obscured by tendrils of wet hair plastered to her face and neck, while more of the water turned to steam and surrounded the livid queen as if she were the devil himself.

"Where's the Koopalings?" she boomed.

Tom looked like he was about to faint, but managed a hoarse reply: "Gone."


	13. Authority

Chapter 12: Authority

"King Da-ad! Guess what we've brought ya!" crowed Luke, as Kamek waved the front doors of Koopa Castle open with a spell.

The Koopalings were shocked to see how similar this castle's Entrance Hall was to their home's. It was smaller, and didn't have any windows, but the thrones were still present upon a raised stage at the back of the room, and two more doors still graced the walls parallel to the podium. Unlike Bowser and Bowselta's castle, there was one large, central throne, with four smaller seats flanking it, two to a side. They expected to see King Morton Koopa awaiting them, but the only person in the room was hardly the legendary tyrant.

He sat sideways on the throne, his legs dangling over one edge and his head reclining on the armrest, something the Koopalings had seen Bowselta do many a time. Though, she never actually got to the point of falling asleep like that, and judging my the involuntary jerk the Dragon-Koopa gave at Luke's cry, they suspected he had done what their mother couldn't.

He groaned. "Let me guess, another wayward Bandit? A troop of unlicensed Pianta Gamblers? A-" he fell silent when he caught sight of the prisoners being led towards the throne. His voice became quiet. "Dragon-Koopas."

"Yep," grinned Alexis. "Eight of them, take a look." She grabbed Iggy (who was bringing up the rear) and hauled him sideways, dragged the other Koopalings into a line between her and Luke before the now wide-awake Dragon-Koopa.

He stared down at the Koopalings with as much terror as they viewed him. He wasn't as scrawny as Luke, but he was nothing like the Bowser the Koopalings knew. His red hair was long and tangled at the back, and shorter but just as wild in the front. He wore a white bandana around his neck and black, spiked bracers on his arms; Luke did too, but he didn't have the muscles to pull it off, really. The Dragon-Koopa moved his crimson eyes from Koopaling to Koopaling, but froze when he reached Junior. His yellow snout and green face visibly paled: he recognized the kid – the spitting image of himself.

"Where's King Dad?" demanded Alexis, snapping Prince Bowser back to reality.

"I dunno," he scowled. His voice was deep, but lacked the growl of the Koopaling's father. It was peculiar, but the Koopalings didn't have time to dwell on it. "What're they in for? Being Dragon-Koopas?"

Luke smiled sycophantically. "_Technically_ they're wanted for hitch-hiking a ride on the train, and running from the cops."

"Uh-huh, and why were the police after them in the first place?"

"Oh Bowser, don't make such a big deal about this. Do you _want_ to get in trouble with King Dad?" said Alexis, rolling her eyes.

"Ooh, trust me, you _don't_ want that," chuckled Luke nervously, before leering down at the Koopalings. "It's not fun, oh no…"

"Uh, stop being creepy," reprimanded Alexis. "It's your own damn fault for eavesdropping all the time."

"Enough!" bellowed Bowser, before his younger brother could make a retort. "What's with you guys?"

"They respect authority," thundered a voice nearly identical to King Bowser Koopa's. Everyone turned to see the newcomer to the conversation: King Morton Koopa. He was as identical to the Koopaling's father in looks as in voice: same face, same hair, same eyes, same scowl. The only differences were that he had an orange goatee jutting out beneath his chin and a flowing black cape held in place by a dark red Koopa shell brooch, though he wore the usual arm bracers. He also carried a large gold staff, the upper end of which curled around a dark green gem; Ludwig recognized it as a magic wand made especially for a Dragon-Koopa – or more specifically, for Alastor Magripa.

Morton walked over beside Bowser, clunking the pointed end of his scepter on the ground as he went, not because he required the help to walk, but for the unnerving effect it had on the Koopalings. He gazed coolly down at them; Larry, Iggy, Junior and Lemmy were trembling; Wendy and Morton Jr. were petrified; only Roy, and Ludwig managed to keep their wits about them. King Morton's face curled into a grin. "So, Kamek tells me you decided to come into my kingdom, run from my troops, abuse my train and pull a wand on my daughter."

"Which _I_ took from him," interrupted Alexis, glaring at the Magikoopa hovering at Morton's right shoulder. She hadn't even noticed the Chief Advisor fly off to tell the king the good news (just as the Koopalings hadn't noticed him enter the room behind their grandfather). Now she was mad that he would steal her thunder, and was determined to keep the glory for herself. "That one," she continued, jerking her head towards Ludwig.

Morton grunted and sized up the eldest Koopaling. "So you're the leader of this merry band of thieves?"

"Vee're not sieves," said Ludwig, in-spite of himself.

"You're not merry either," growled King Morton. "But you _are_ foreign. Where're you from?"

"Overseas," said Ludwig. "Some little islands off zee shore of zee Vaffle Kingdom."

Morton's grinned grew darker. "Kaptain K. Rool killed all the cowards who took to the seas after the unification. He's got the skulls to prove it."

Roy clenched his fist in anger, being chained to him, Ludwig felt it and hurried to answer the king. "Not all of zem – our parents escaped."

"Yeah? Who?"

"You vouldn't know zem: zey vere born after zee Dragon-Koopas left," said Ludwig, casting around for a way to answer the question that was inevitably coming next.

"And who are _their_ parents?" sneered King Morton.

"Coco Cloopa and Andrew Magripa," Ludwig and the others stared at Morton Koopa Jr. in bewilderment as he spoke up to his namesake. They would never chide him about obsessively reading history books again. Morton continued: "On our mother's side, at least: our father's family was native to our home island."

But the king wasn't convinced. "I was under the impression Dragon-Koopas never made it to the Waffle Kingdom."

"I said they were natives to our home _island_, not the mainland," insisted the Koopaling a tad brazenly, realizing he had made a fatal mistake as Morton Sr.'s fist clenched his staff in anger.

"Zey vere zee last vones, too," jumped in Ludwig, in an attempt to return Morton Jr.'s favour and save _him_ this time. "Zat place vasn't healsy for Dragon-Koopas – too much sugar, not enough meat. Ven our parents died, vee had no real choice but to return." Ludwig knew a sob-story wouldn't buy him or his siblings mercy – he was just trying to form a viable story and prevent the King from figuring out that there was something funny about his new prisoners.

"Well," said King Morton at long last. "If you've got Magripa blood that'd explain your ability to quick-draw a wand, and the Cloopa in you explains all the deformities." He cast his disparaging eyes over the Koopalings: Ludwig's fused, buck-teeth, Wendy's lily feet, Junior's nearly toothless mouth... Morton laughed cruelly. "It explains your stupidity too. Didn't your idiot mother explain _why_ her family left this place?"

"No," said Ludwig, praying Morton wasn't as good a lie-detector as Trubba.

"_I_ am why," growled Morton. "I tricked them into giving me their power, and I told them to get lost, lest they tried to get it back. I had a world to conquer – I didn't need them causing dissent in my own backyard." Morton held his wand to his face and ran a caressing hand over the jewel. "When Rool told me what he did, I thanked Koopa for the good fortune – it was a bonus I hadn't counted on. Too bad he didn't finish the job… I guess I'll have to do it for him."

He looked at Ludwig, hate in his eyes. "You come in here and _lie_ to me, you little dirt bag." The green gem started to glow, and Ludwig felt his body seize up, out of the corner of his eye he saw Luke shuffle away as far as he could on his left, and to his right he saw Alexis drag Roy back as well. As Morton Sr. spoke next, he slowly raised the staff into the air and over his shoulder, like he was getting ready to swing it like a golden golf club. "Fortunately for you, I don't torture children."

Ludwig's heart hammered in his ears as he stared, wide-eyed and disbelieving as Morton started too swing the glowing scepter down towards his victim. Ludwig closed his eyes; there was no time to cry out. Instead, a different voice rang through the room: "MORTON!"

Ludwig flinched, but remained untouched. Slowly he opened his left eye a sliver, only to see the glowing green orb less than an inch from his face, less than an inch away from delivering its fatal blow. He couldn't look away, just stare. His world was green. The only sounds he heard was his heart and his ragged breathing; he didn't hear her footsteps and he didn't hear her grab the staff, but suddenly the gem was lifted from his sight, and he felt its control cut away. He nearly fell to the floor – his legs were so wobbly from the adrenaline coursing through his body.

He finally lifted his gaze to his would-be executioner, only to find Morton glaring not at him, but at his wife, Queen Clawdia Koopa. Ludwig had seen pictures of her, but they did her no justice; if Koopas believed in angels, they'd be designed off her. She was Bowselta's height (a bit shorter than Morton), and thin as a rail, but not unnaturally or unhealthily so. Her snout and belly were so pale a cream yellow that they looked white, and her scales were a soft green tinted with blue. Her hair was long and fine, its colours shimmering in the light and rippling as she moved; it put Iggy's ever-changing rainbow to shame, and its colours were so fair it made Lemmy's mane seem gaudy.

The front portion of her hair was pulled back around the horns and tied behind her head, leaving her eyes clear. Unlike Bowselta, her eyelids remained fully open, her dainty eyelashes and clear blue iris keeping her from looking like a deer in the headlights. Even as she stared at Morton in horror, she was the most beautiful creature Ludwig – or _any_ of his siblings – had ever seen.

"What are you doing?" her rich voice trembled, but her hands were unmoving as they held the staff up and away from the Koopalings.

"Asserting my authority," leered Morton, ripping the scepter from Clawdia's hands. "Though, perhaps I was being a _bit_ rash. He looked down at Ludwig. "The blood would ruin the carpet."

Clawdia shook her head. "I don't believe this."

Morton glared at her. "It has to be done."

"No, it doesn't."

"You don't understand," he sighed. "If I don't act, the people would think I've grown weak – that I've lost my edge. In the eve of war, that would be disastrous."

"Murdering children is not a sign of strength," challenged Clawdia.

"It's a sign of willpower," said Morton, turning and striking Ludwig with his staff before Clawdia could stop him. The blow wasn't enough to kill the Koopaling, or even stun him, but he _was_ knocked to the floor, and he tasted blood. Morton stood over him, murder in his eyes. "They broke the law, and all who oppose me die." Ludwig looked dumbly up at his assailant, the shock rendering him emotionless. "Only the weak will call me a monster for this," continued Morton. "The ones who matter will see it as a sign that I will let nothing stand in the way of my destiny – of my right to rule this world."

"Father-" began Bowser, but he was silenced with an order from his father.

"Take them to the deep chambers. I'll deal with them later." With that, Morton whirled around and strode out of the room, Kamek at his heels. Clawdia looked drained as she watched him out, her pretty face marred by grief.

"You coming?" asked Alexis, looking at Bowser expectantly.

"No," he growled. "I hate it down there."

"Suit yourself," she shrugged. "Come on, Luke."

Her twin brother grinned and yanked on the chain, Ludwig struggled to his feet and meekly followed as he and his siblings were led to the door to the right of the throne. The other Koopalings were just as horrified at what nearly transpired, but not quite as shaken as Ludwig – most of them managed one last look back at Clawdia and Bowser.

The Koopa Queen was faced away, towards the door Morton had vanished through. The rainbow colours in her hair and shell shimmered as she reached up and placed a comforting hand on her eldest son's shoulder as he watched the Koopalings get dragged away.


	14. Getaway

**A/N****: Once more I was forced to end the chapter long before I had planned and found myself in need of a non-Koopaling "filler" chapter. Fortunately, as before, it ended up working out, since I've always felt Mario/Peach/etc.'s side of the story had always a bit neglected in my earlier fanfics.**

Chapter 13: Getaway

"I'm so sorry Toadsworth, this is all my fault."

"Nonsense Princess, what could you have done?"

"What I wanna know is how Bowselta managed to bust outta here," commented Daisy, causing not only Peach and Toadsworth to look her way, but Mario and Luigi as well. Wario and Waluigi had left Toad Town for Diamond City the night before, and they were not missed. "This thing was supposed to have a forcefield, wasn't it?"

The princesses, Toadsworth and the plumbers had gone down to dungeons as soon as the chaos up above had subsided. Many more Toads had been killed in the Koopa's flight, and the Marios had been hurt badly in an explosion. Their friends thanked the Stars that they survived long enough to be completely rejuvenated by Life Shrooms. This time, their gratitude was not misplaced.

Curiously, none of the normal holding cells seemed to have been forced, and the locks showed no signs of picking. Recalling how Bowselta was once the infamous Shadow Thief, Peach realized it wasn't so much surprising as it was intriguing. But what awaited them down the corridor _was_ shocking: these cells weren't opened as if by magic, but were totally trashed. Every last one of them.

"Yes," said Toadsworth. "And that should have stopped all this destruction from happening."

"Then how-"

"The forcefields were deactivated _before_ they were defiled," explained Peach. "That's why it's my fault – when I came out of the shower and heard the commotion outside I realized the key to the cell was gone from my bedside table."

"Peach, please, we had no idea that the key would be stolen," said Toadsworth. "And even so, it's more my fault for giving you the key than it is yours for freshening up without taking it with you. And by Jove, keys do not make good sponges, oh ho!"

"He's right," nodded Luigi.

"Oh yes!" agreed Mario.

"Thanks," Peach smiled weakly.

"Of course, the real issue is that the Koopas obviously had outside help," continued Daisy, trying to make up for the fact that she slept through the entire debacle.

"Yes, that is rather troubling," frowned Toadsworth. "I'll ask everyone if they saw something out-of place with the Koopas."

"What if they didn't leave with the Koopas? Y'know, so they could keep their secret identity here," said Daisy ominously.

"Y-you mean, like a spy?" gasped Luigi.

"Maybe."

"I don't think so," said Peach, looking around the cell. "This isn't Bowselta's style. Once she got out, she would've left immediately to free Bowser and the others. She didn't even stick around to try and finish you guys off." Mario and Luigi exchanged looks, uncomfortable at the fact it was the Koopa Queen's paranoia of meddling Star Spirits that saved them this time. "No," continued Peach, shaking her head. "I'm sure whoever freed Bowselta must've done this, not her."

"But, she _is_ pretty violent," said Daisy. "And have you ever looked into her eyes? It's an _ocean_ of rage in there."

Peach shook her head. "Even so, she wouldn't fly off the handle."

"Maybe she wanted to destroy the cells so we couldn't capture her again," suggested Luigi.

"Oh yes, or perhaps she was-a-mad that she-a-built these cells and now we-a-used them against her," nodded Mario.

"Maybe," said Peach. "But it just seems too extravagant."

"Princess, you shouldn't be dwelling on this matter," urged Toadsworth. "What goes on in that demon's head is _anyone's_ guess – not _yours_. Or at least, not yours alone, so let us do the hypothesizing for now, eh wot? I think it would do you good to get away from all this, take a trip down to the tropics with your friends."

The old butler looked around the room for support, but Peach shook her head once more. "I can't leave now, Toadsworth, not when my people need me the most." She didn't say it aloud, but deep inside her she acknowledged that she wouldn't make the same mistakes her globetrotting, absentee father lived _his_ life by.

Her attaché seemed to read her mind. "It's not abandonment. It's getting out of the depressing morgue that is this castle. Your father's on his way home now – the casualties were so great that he's flying here and should arrive later this afternoon. Once he's here, surely your presence won't be sorely missed."

Peach still had her doubts, but Daisy spoke up next. "He's right: I find getting away and clearing my head really helps _me_ cope with all the stress of ruling a country. Why do you think I come down here so often?"

"I thought it was because you're our friend and you enjoy our company," joked Peach.

Her friend grinned. "That's only half of it. But anyway, as your friend, I insist you come away with me for a couple days. You guys too, and Toadsworth, you can come as well."

"Oh no, King Toadstool will need me at his side once he returns, and if the Mario bros. are with you, I think I can muster the courage to let Peach out of my sights for a tic," Toadsworth winked.

"You used to let me traverse the country on my own all the time," grinned Peach.

"Yes, but times have changed," said Toadsworth, inadvertently reminding the group of the bloodbath that was necessitating the vacation.

Daisy cleared her throat. "Well, no matter the circumstances, we should make the best of the situation. It just so happens I was reading up on possible places to bring my cruiser, and I came across this wonderful channel of islands to the east. They're small and uninhabited, and if we take a nice little yacht it'd be so much fun!"

"Sounds nice," smiled Peach, determined to rise out of her funk. Toadsworth was right, the escape wasn't her fault. Besides, Daisy's excitement was contagious. "What's the place called?"

"Uh, I don't know the official name, but cruise companies call it 'Channel K', whatever that means."

"'K' as in 'Koopa'?" Mario's eyes narrowed.

"No, it's way far away from Dark Land," said Daisy.

"'K' for 'Kremlings'?" pondered Toadsworth.

"As I said before – _Whatever. That. Mean_s. I don't know what the 'K' stands for, but cruise ships go through there all the time: it's perfectly safe."

-xxxxx-

As the Stars would have it, Daisy wasn't the only one with her sights set on "Channel K". After finding out her children were AWOL, Bowselta scoured their rooms for clues as to where that could have gone, eventually finding a map book in Iggy's room, with a couple papers jammed in as markers. The papers didn't make much sense: something about desire and need, much of which was crossed out or followed by a question mark. But the book proved invaluable, as it panted a clear portrait of where the Koopalings had gone: Sogopalag Island, located in the Koopa-Kremling Corridor, also known as Channel K.


	15. Torture

Chapter 14: Torture

"Guess what we've brought ya!" announced Luke as he led the Koopalings into the most horrid dungeon they had ever laid eyes on. It was a circular room at the bottom of two flights of stairs – Iggy suspected they were even below the library. Obviously, there weren't any windows: the room was lit by a pair of enchanted torches, which would always burn without heat and without using up oxygen. The air was stale and the room stank of blood, which was smeared all over the ground and sparkling on a stomach-turning array of weapons hanging from the walls between the yawning mouths of pitch black cells.

Luke led the Koopalings forward. The mire stuck to the souls of their feet and made them shudder in horror. It was no wonder that Bowser had the way to this place sealed in the Koopalings' dimension. Luke stopped in front of one of the cells and smiled sadistically into the shadows. "Company! But I doubt it'll be for long – King Dad was quite prepared to kill them in the throne room just now." He glanced down at Ludwig: a darkening bruise dominated the right size of the Koopaling's face, and he had a black eye; his nose had stopped bleeding, but semi-solidified blood still clung to his snout and seeped through his lips.

Alexis rolled her eyes at her brother's conversation as she picked through the ring of keys that had gotten her through the two doors barring the torture-chamber from the rest of Koopa Castle. With a rusty clunk, she opened the cell next to the one Luke was chatting with. "In," she snapped.

The Koopalings, seeing no way around it, trudged into the cell, glaring up at their alternate-reality aunt as they went. Luke handed Alexis the end of the chain, not taking his eyes off of the first cell, a lascivious smile still plastered on his face. She took it with a look of disgust at her brother's preoccupation, and once Ludwig was in the cell she reached a hand through the bars and grabbed the chain again, letting go with her first hand and slamming the door shut.

After locking the Koopalings in, she gave a second order: "Hands up." When they obeyed, she Hammerspaced the keys and pulled out her wand, waving it in the air in front of the bars and disengaging all the handcuffs.

Luke paid none of this any attention, and kept trying to charm the darkness. "Soon you'll be alone again, just you and King Dad, and me. But not necessarily all at once. My offer still stands, it'll always stand with _you_…"

"Ugh, stop being such a nymphomaniac," snapped Alexis, having magically levitated the chain and cuffs out through the bars and stepped up behind her brother. She yanked him backwards by his hair, eliciting a startled yelp of pain.

"Yeow! Cut it out!"

"You cut it out – you're making me sick. As if your Kritter tramps aren't bad enough," said Alexis, scrunching up her snout in disgust before dumping the roll of restraints into her brother's arms.

"Hey! What the-"

"_You_'ll be carrying them up," smirked Alexis.

"Can't you just disappear them? Or destroy them," he suddenly stopped and looked back into his beloved locked cell. "Or you can loan me the keys and I'll _use_ them. Heh heh- ow!" Luke's creepy chuckle was cut short as Alexis whacked him over the head with her wand, though _her_ strike wasn't enough to bruise.

"That's the reason why King Dad hasn't given you a set too, you little pervert," jeered Alexis. "Now come on!"

She turned and strode back towards the foot of the stairs, with Luke hot on her heels. "You're just jealous."

"Of being a slut? No thanks."

The Dragon-Koopas had climbed out of the Koopaling's sight, but they could still hear the disgusting conversation. "Hey! You're just mad that no one would have you."

"Just cuz I settle for more than street trash."

"That's a lie."

"Oh yeah, I forgot, you're hooker friends are all high-end aren't they?"

"At least I-" the slamming of a door cut off Luke's retort.

The cell he had been harassing started to laugh. "That little psycho's lucky Morton's decided the laws are above his precious children. Or he'd be married five times over by now, at least." The voice was female, but it was so hoarse it was hard to tell. "And then of course, it applies doubly for those of us who aren't immediate family but are still called cousins by the biologists."

"We know," growled Roy.

"No you don't," hissed the voice, after a short, bitter laugh. The Koopalings heard the slither of scales, and in spite of themselves, pressed against the door for a better view. Though the curvature of the wall meant the brick-lined cells weren't directly side-by-side, it didn't give them the greatest view of their neighbouring prisoner, and they had to cluster at the far corner to see. The voice continued, its owner still in the shadows. "Hitting kids over the heads is shocking. Killing kids is sick. Public executions, public torture sessions and stonings are archaic…" Step by step, the speaker was nearing the pool of torchlight at the front of the cell. "But if you want to know just how twisted King Morton Koopa can really be, well, that'd be me – I'm the worst he can do."

It wasn't an exaggeration. Her scales was dull and lined with scars, some new, some old. Her nails had been dug out of her fingers and toes; she was so thin the Koopalings could count her ribs through her belly scales, and they had a clear view of the cracked and stiff shell that stuck out on either side of her malnourished body. What little flesh she did have on her was limited to her arms and legs; the tendons and blood vessels suck out from her neck, casting bizarre shadows on her skin.

Her blue hair was grizzled, her eyelashes were nonexistent, and her horns were bent in grotesque directions. The skin on her mouth was pulled tight enough that teeth protruded even when her mouth was closed, and her lips bore no colour at all. Her half-closed eyelids and bright red irises were all this Bowselta Parakay shared with the Koopalings' mother.

"Wh- wha-" stammered Junior.

"What possible reason could he have had to do this to you?" finished Iggy.

"You know those balls people squeeze to relieve stress?" began Bowselta, not waiting for a response: "Well, instead of _squeezing_ me, he uses one of those lovely instruments."

The Koopalings followed her gaze to the rusting tools linking the room as Bowselta elaborated. "When things go wrong – when he needs an ego-boost and putting it to his pretty little queen just doesn't cut it – he comes down here and tells himself the ability to beat, and cut, and whip a starving prisoner makes him a big man." There was venom in her words, but the Koopalings were willing to bet her filed-down teeth actually ran dry. "If he can't add someplace new to his maps, or something shiny or severed to his trophy room, he comes down here and deepens the scar on my face, to prove he does have the power to make his mark."

Bowselta pointed to a particularly nasty wound on her face, one that was clearly made by Morton's own claws. The three gashes ran from above her left eye (forcing the lower eyelid to be partially closed as well as the naturally droopy upper one), over her cheek and halfway down her neck. In the Koopaling's dimension, the only mark Bowselta bore was the strange black patch on her leg; this scar was much different: it was ragged, raw, and copper. Anything that tried to grow between the raw flesh and the air had clearly been ripped away. Most of the Koopalings doubted it would ever heal fully; Roy, Iggy and Ludwig _knew_ it wouldn't.

"Once he invades the Waffle Kingdom he says he's planning it make the three-finger mark into his emblem, only instead of me, it'll be the planet bearing his 'brand', as it were." The words hung in the air for a moment, as Bowselta and the Koopalings continued to gaze at each other. "But, enough about this world. Let's hear about yours."

The Koopalings were a bit taken aback by the abrupt, matter-of-factness in Bowselta's voice, which was strange in itself, as she usually acted like that back home. Ludwig was the first to come to terms with the cripple's sudden familiarity. "Uh, you _know_ vee're from anozzer dimension?"

"How?" interjected Junior.

Bowselta shrugged. "Well, _you're_ the spitting image of Bowser when he was young. And probably Morton too, though I haven't seen baby pictures of _him_. And _you_ look like me; _you_ have Alexis' hair; _yours_ is more like Clawdia; and I've heard that my father was bald, like _you_." Bowselta pointed at Junior, Larry, Lemmy, Iggy and Roy in turn. "But I don't really remember him myself – it's been so long."

"Viracocha Parakay? Yeah, he was bald. He was also blue: blue head, blue eyebrows, blue hair. If that helps you remember," offered Morton.

"He's a real trivia nut," explained Wendy in response to Bowselta's surprised look.

"It's not trivia – it's valuable knowledge," huffed Morton. "You weren't so depreciative when I could come up with viable names of our 'ancestors' back there."

"What do you mean?" asked Bowselta.

"He told King Morton a phony story about our lineage. Ludwig started it, but Morton – er, that is to say, _him_, our brother – er, he came up with the names and stuff to make it seem realistic. And Morton, er, Senior bought it!" said Wendy, stumbling over the two Mortons a bit.

Bowselta closed her eyes sadly. "Unlike the idiot twins, who, judging by Luke's normal behavior just now, haven't figured out you're me and Bowser's kids, Morton'd have you pegged from the start. It's probably why he was so quick to try and do away with you."

"Hold on a sec," challenged Junior. "Why are you so sure it's you and _Bowser_ who're our parents?"

Bowselta smirked. "It's either him… or _Luke_. That's no choice at all, really."

-xxx-

Over the next couple hours Bowselta and the Koopalings told each other all about their respective worlds. The Koopalings told Bowselta how their King Morton had been killed, and how she had found herself unable to kill his son. Together, they discovered the reason why this dimension's Bowselta had been captured stealing Churcha Katrooka's sword was that she never acquired the golden skeleton key that made their own mother so successful. As far as the Koopalings knew, their Bowselta had stole the key from a small Magikoopa village; this Bowselta passed through many wizarding towns but never spied a magic lock-pick.

Everything up to the point of her capture was the same or similar to Queen Bowselta's experiences, and the Koopalings had no intention on pressuring this Bowselta for details on her imprisonment – the scars spoke for themselves. So the conversation came back to them. They spoke about the Koopa Kingdom they knew, about their parents' dreams, accomplishments, and failures. They told Bowselta about Mario, and weren't surprised to learn that this world's Morton had done away with him and Luigi. However, it wasn't because Kamek predicted they would bring ruin to the Koopa Kingdom, but because of an attack on Princess Peach. Kamek sensed that Peach possessed magic that could counter the Koopas' (this he had in common with the Koopaling's ex-Chief Advisor), so when the Koopas invaded the Mushroom Kingdom they made sure to execute the infant. The Mario bros. had been selected as playmates for the princess, and when the Koopas came crashing in they tried to save their friend, only to meet their gristly fates beneath Morton's feet. The irony was not lost on the Koopalings – if they ever managed to return home, they would be sure to tell the Goombas all about it.

Of course, they knew very well that that was wishful thinking: Bowselta had been imprisoned for nearly seventeen years, and hadn't seen the light of day since Morton dragged her bleeding and limp body from the castle steps and into the dungeon. It turned out Morton gave her Kremling drugs that kept her life energy intact even after her physical body gave out from the abuse it took that day. In order to do this, it also sealed her energy in, so she couldn't even try to defend herself with firebreath, which Morton then made _permanently_ impossible by sticking Churcha's sword down its would-be thief's throat, destroying the organs responsible for the attack.

Now the Koopalings knew why Bowselta's voice was so hoarse, and hurried to change the subject lest they discovered the story behind her filed teeth, pitted claws and broken back.

"Do you remember Mark Mallet?" blurted Morton. "You were classmates: he's a Hammer Bro. who doesn't like wearing a helmet."

"I remember him… barely," said Bowselta, screwing up her face as she thought. "Why do you ask?"

"He helped get us here," said Lemmy.

Bowselta snorted in disgust. "Serving you to Morton on a silver plate, huh? I guess he never grew out of hating Dragon-Koopas."

"No, no, no! Nothing like that," said Iggy. "He saved us from the cops in Burt's Cove, and we _forced_ him to get us on the train, so we could find Bowser and bring him back to the Magic Mirror."

They had already told Bowselta about their "quest" to find what her alternate reality counterpart and Bowser needed to take over the world, but she still shook her head. "Still, he must've known it was a suicide mission."

"We knew we couldn't just turn back at that point – we had no choice and it was a good thing that he helped us," said Wendy, omitting the fact that they hadn't told Mark about the Mirror.

"He vanted us to go to zee Vaffle Kingdom vere vee vould be safe. He sincerely regretted bullying you in zee past and vas horrified at vat Morton did to you," continued Ludwig.

"Yeah, he was even at the 'execution'," added Junior.

"_What_?" hissed Bowselta. "Then why didn't he say anything? I remember, not everyone there was happy about what they were seeing: he could have started a riot, he could've saved me – or at least got me killed for real, if it made Morton worry about consequences."

"Well, he _was_ with his mother-" started Wendy.

"Yeah, he never did stand up for me when she was around," snapped Bowselta. "Or if _anyone_ was around, if memory serves."

"So he _was_ decent in private?" asked Morton eagerly.

"I don't remember," said Bowselta, still angry. "All I remember was that he was a jerk."

"Well, we think he had a crush on you," ventured Morton, earning incredulous stares from his siblings. "Well, some of us anyway. I wanted to ask Mum about it when we got back, though some of these guys said she'd probably kill me. But now Morton's probably gonna take care of that for her, so I might-as-well ask you now."

"Ask me what? How should I know what was going on in his warped little mind?" Bowselta was disgusted by the thought or Mark liking her.

"No, not about his feelings, about yours. Did you like him back?"

"No," spat Bowselta.

"Not at all? Not even deep down, as a friend?" Morton was going out on a limb now.

"No. I hated Mark Mallet. He ruined the only time in my life that could've offered something more than starvation and pain," Bowselta glared at the ground, seething, before suddenly lashing out at Morton. "And what do you care anyway? Do you have some sort of Oedipus Complex?"

"Edi-what?" said Wendy.

"It's when a kid pines for his mother," said Larry demurely. Even though his specialty was plants, he had a passing interest in psychology.

"Ew, that's gross. Incest's gross," said Wendy, shaking her head to try and clear her mind of the sordid images that immediately formed there. "Why do you have to be so weird, Morton?"

"I'm just curious," he said defensively. "And you guys were interested in it too."

"Yeah, but you were da one who brought it up, both dere _and_ here," growled Roy. "It ain't da time nor place for dat sorta invasion of privacy."

"I guess," sighed Morton, turning and peering through the bars at Bowselta. "Sorry for bothering you. It was probably especially bad because we only just met, huh?"

"Again with the questions," muttered Bowselta.

"Uh, er-"

"I'm kidding," she smiled, a glimmer of the Koopaling's mother shining through the abused visage.

"Oh, well it was still wrong," said Morton, sincerely sorry. "It's just… I'm SO hungry! I can't think straight!"

The smile faded from Bowselta's face. "Get used to it: I only get fed when Morton needs me to recover lost blood, or something." The Koopalings cast uneasy glances at the copper-stained floor, but Bowselta continued. "You're lucky you won't have to suffer for long… One way or another."

"What's dat supposed ta mean?" asked Roy.

Bowselta closed her eyes and shook her head. Roy didn't repeat the question.


	16. Search

Chapter 15: Search

A storm was on the horizon by the time the Koopa Cruiser reached Sogapalag and vicious winds ripped around the outer rim, making searching through the caves difficult. Bowser and Bowselta didn't spend much time on each cave, but even so, the ship came close to crashing more than once. By an unfortunate trick of the light, they ended up passing right by the Mirror cave without glimpsing the Clown Car mere metres from the open air; and once they completed a single circuit of the island, Bowselta called it quits. She figured that since the winds were giving the Koopa Cruiser so much grief, the Clown Car would never have stood a chance, and therefore, she decided the Koopalings were somewhere in the island's interior.

Sogapalag was a fairly large isle (about twice the size of Yoshi's Island) and it had taken hours to scrutinize the exterior alone, so Bowser and Bowselta knew just what they were getting themselves into. They had left most of their troops at Koopa Castle, taking only the hardiest of soldiers, what little backup reserves they had at their disposal, and even some of the home security. As soon as they landed, Bowselta divided the Koopas into four groups: two to scour the floor of the island, and one to circle around each ridge. They had already done an aerial sweep of Sogapalag Island with the Cruiser, and found the trees too dense to get a clear view of anything. So instead, Bowselta appointed the Koopa Paratroopas and some Magikoopas as go-betweens for the groups.

She and Bowser would take the north side with Kammy and some other soldiers. Bowser thought it would be a better idea if the three of them split up and let Army Hammer Bro. (the head of the espionage department, who was only out because there was almost no one left) take the last group, but Bowselta disagreed. She felt that the leaders should stick together in case something happened and they needed to return to the Cruiser, or meet up somewhere immediately. Bowser realized she was right, though he was a bit peeved at the prospect of spending the entire excursion with Kammy fretting over him. He had recovered immensely since leaving Koopa Castle, and could barely believe it was only yesterday that he had died. Kammy, on the other hand, couldn't forget, and it drove the king nuts.

"Kammy, if you don't shut up, I'm gonna throw you off the cliff," growled Bowser.

"Your Snarkyness, please," said Kammy plaintively. "I just want to make sure that leg of yours holds up."

"It's fine!" bellowed Bowser, slapping his thigh to try and prove a point. Unfortunately he used a bit too much gusto, and while he kept the pain from showing on his face, Kammy saw the muscle itself twinge.

"Don't do that! Your Foolishness!" she gasped.

"Enough of the names!" barked Bowser, not daring to cast an irate glance at the troops following behind – the situation was embarrassing enough.

"But, do you _want_ to relapse?"

"I won't, even without your stupid spell."

"If you're worried about losing time, it'll just take a few seconds: I just need the leg immobile-"

"No!" Bowser didn't care about losing time, he cared about losing face. Bowselta's words had hit home that morning, and now he was as paranoid as ever about his troops losing faith in their king. And on a remote island, now would be the perfect time to strike. He always thought that Johnson fellow looked a bit shifty…

"But Your Impossibleness... Bowselta, talk some sense into him," Kammy was walking side-by side with Bowser, but the ledge was too narrow for anyone else, so the queen marched ahead. She had been scouring the land, but at the Chief Advisor's plea, she coolly looked back over her shoulder.

"The leg looks fine to me."

"Thank you!" beamed Bowser, before scowling down at Kammy.

The old Magikoopa didn't back down. "I saw the muscle twitch."

"That's what they do, and we've been walking for a while," shrugged Bowselta, turning back to her search, perfectly willing to resume ignoring the argument behind her.

Kammy growled.

Bowselta sighed. "It'll be dark in a few hours, and by the looks of it, it's gonna be pouring long before that. The next Paratroopa update we get, I'm gonna send out word for the other parties to look for shelter. There are plenty of caves on the ridges, so we'll be fine. Once we're stuck inside, you can fret over his leg, happy?"

"Yes," muttered Kammy darkly, looking up at the gathering storm clouds. They reflected her growing sense of anxiety perfectly.

-xxx-

Bowselta was right: in less than an hour, sheets of rain were pelting Sogapalag Island, and the wind was now as violent inside the cliffs as outside. Bowser and Bowselta's party had found a nice, shallow cave just in time to avoid the worst of it, but they still got rather wet. The Paratroopas had stopped flying, but the Magikoopas (none of whom were crystal gazers, besides Kammy) used rain-repellant charms to brave the storm and report that the other three groups were secure. Bowselta hoped the Koopalings had fared as well.

"I'm sure they're fine."

Bowselta jumped, whirling around to see Kammy shuffling up beside her at the mouth of the cave. "I thought you said you _weren't_ a mind-reader."

Kammy chuckled. "It's not so much reading the mind as it is deciphering the body language: back to the fire and the company, arms crossed, staring out into nothingness."

"That's hardly nothing," said Bowselta, jutting her chin out at the monsoon. The rain was so hard that the trees feet away from the cave were barely visible. It was like the cave was hidden behind a silver waterfall – or rather, from her perspective, the world was what was hidden, as were the Koopalings…

"It's not much of a view," said Kammy, before giving Bowselta a sidelong glance. "But why do I have the feeling you wouldn't have noticed either way?"

"I was thinking," said Bowselta simply.

"You could do that by the fire, instead of out here in the cold," Kammy shivered against the dampness that filled the air.

"Perhaps," said Bowselta. "But I'd rather be alone."

"You know as well as I that being surrounded by people doesn't mean you're _not_ alone."

Bowselta eyed at her friend skeptically. "Can it with the metaphors."

"Who says I was being metaphorical?" said Kammy. "Or did you think I've forgotten what day it is, hmm? I know there's not much to celebrate, but you could at least be miserable together."

Bowselta shot her a scathing look, and the Magikoopa took it as a sign for her to leave. She gave a little bow and turned away, slowly shuffling back to the others. Bowselta watched Kammy go for a moment before looking past the old witch at the crowd around the fire. There were only six guards in their group, plus three Magikoopa messengers. The groups in the island's basin were larger since there was more space to cover. The Magikoopas were talking amongst themselves and were joined by Kammy. A pair of Koopatrols and a Terrapin door guard sat on the ground next to the fire polishing their armor. Two Koopa Troopas (one of which was the paranoid Koopa King's current "nemesis", Johnson) were chatting with the group's "resident" Paratroopa (he remained with the group so they could send a message in an emergency even if none of the rotating go-betweens were with them at that time).

Only Bowser sat alone, with his back braced up against the wall and his fist on his chin. He stared into the fire as if lost in deep thought, but even from a distance, Bowselta could see his eyes were glazed over by fatigue. She knew him so well – Kammy was nuts to imply anything otherwise. Bowselta didn't even know what the old Magikoopa was getting at. _Maybe she _is_ going batty_, thought Bowselta, before turning around once more. _But then again, SOMETHING's not right here._ The Queen of the Koopas stared into the rain, and with an unhappy smirk, realized what was wrong. _Fifteen years ago… I never would have imagined spending this night in a cave surrounded by underlings, with my kids lost on some Koopaforsaken island… At least it beats the sewers of New York City_. She smiled bitterly, realizing her life hadn't really improved all that much. _And perhaps… THAT_'s_ what's wrong here._

She doubted it.


	17. Flight

Chapter 16: Flight

The dungeon was silent. Bowselta Parakay had slid back into the shadows, and a couple of the Koopalings followed suit. It wasn't late enough to consider sleep, and even if it was, the smell of blood and the fact that theirs was – in all likelihood – going to add to the puddles in front of their cell, had the children on edge. Some, like Larry, hadn't given up hope, others, like Roy, had silently accepted their fate. Lemmy was the only one not dwelling on it, being too busy fretting over his feet, and mourning the loss of his ball (Alexis had dropped it into the lava on their way to the castle). At first, Lemmy had complained about his predicament to Iggy, but felt uncomfortable breaking the eerie quietness of the chamber, and his pseudo-twin wasn't really in the mood for it anyway. So Lemmy silently tried to get his feet used to the ground, but without the cushion of the ball, his bony heels started to ache. He was just experimenting with standing on the balls of his feet (or tiptoes, depending on how he looked at it) when the screech of an opening door cut through the air.

Lemmy promptly lost balance and toppled to the floor while the other Koopas stared, wide-eyed towards the stairwell as they heard a single pair of feet rushing down the steps. Ludwig looked over and was startled to find that Bowselta was back at her door, her hands on the bars and her eyes alive for the first time that night. Ludwig tore his sight back to the archway as the runner leapt down the last few steps and came into view. It was Prince Bowser Koopa.

"Get ready to go, we don't have much time," he said, crossing the room as he fumbled with a ring of keys.

"Wait a minute, what's going-" Wendy's inquiry died in her throat as Bowser reached Bowselta's cell and greeted her with a passionate kiss between the bars. More than one Koopaling jaw dropped at the sight.

After a moment Bowser pulled away and turned his attention back to the keys. "Father knows what's up, I'm sure of it."

"Did he say anything?" asked Bowselta.

"About who they are? No," Bowser's eyes darted to the Koopalings before he stuck a key into Bowselta's lock. "But he did tell Kamek he's gonna kill you all after dinner. Luke overheard them."

"For once he did something useful," smirked Bowselta as the lock clicked and Bowser turned to the Koopaling's door. "And they _are_ our kids, by the way – from another reality," she added as she opened her door and circled around beside the prince.

Bowser merely nodded as he searched through the ring for the right key.

Bowselta looked at the Koopalings apologetically. "I'm sorry, this must've come as a bit of a shock. But I didn't want to say anything up in case Morton prevented Bowser from helping us. I didn't want to get your hopes – and mine – up in vain."

"Zat's okay," said Ludwig, as Bowser found the right key with a satisfied grunt and opened the cell.

"Come on," he said, grabbling Bowselta by the hand and leading her across the room. She walked with a limp.

"Er, wait!" cried Lemmy, struggling to his feet.

"We don't have time!" shouted Bowser as he mounted the stairs. "As soon as I found out what was going on I prepared a Mosquito to get us out, then I released all the normal prisoners to make a distraction. As I sad before, Father's eating, but the guards are about. And Kamek."

Lemmy was back with the group at that point, trotting up the stairwell on the ends of his feet. "My legs are burning!"

"Mine too," hissed Bowselta unsympathetically as Bowser flung open the first door and led them into the second flight of stairs. Here, torches were situated all around, and the light made Bowselta look even worse off. The shiny membrane that made Dragon-Koopa shells look like one solid piece was gone - the separate plates that made the carapace flexible clear for all to see. From a biological standpoint it was fascinating, as was her tail, in which every single bone was discernable, but under the circumstances, not even Iggy could bring himself to marvel at it.

They reached the top of the stairs and Bowser cautiously pushed the door forwards, peering into the hall for signs of danger. The stairwell was abandoned, as was the corridor leading away to the right. To the left was a door to the Throne Room, which would have been guarded under normal circumstances, but sounds of battle inside indicated Bowser's prison break was doing its job. He led the group to the right, straining his neck to check every hallway or open door that crossed their path.

They had just turned the first corner and were heading south when Bowser froze at the sounds of approaching footsteps. Ripping open the nearest door, he beckoned the group into a storage closet. It was barely able to hold them all, even with the younger and smaller Koopalings stacked on top of their stronger siblings, as Bowser and Bowselta squeezed themselves in like sardines. The group's breathing was shallow, but not because of the absence of breathing room. They could clearly hear the hurried footfalls, the sound of metal, and the swinging open and closed of every closet in the hall.

Bowser was against the door, and braced himself for battle as the soldier reached their hiding place. Oblivious to the fact he was in mortal danger, the Terrapin reached for the handle.

"You, there!"

The Koopa jumped and turned to see Clawdia Koopa walking towards him. "Yes, m'lady?"

"The escapees are massing in the Entrance Hall, we need backup to keep them from reaching the bridge to the city," explained the Queen. As she neared the closet, the hidden Dragon-Koopas could even hear the jangling of the golden bangles ringing her wrists and ankles. It was a heavenly sound.

"I'm sorry, ma'am: I was given orders to search the castle-"

"By who?"

"Captain Jagger," said the Terrapin guard.

Clawdia shook her head. "Why would the prisoners hide? They have been imprisoned for so long, all they want is out of the castle. You can see it in the ferocity of their fighting." There was sadness in her voice, and the soldier was moved (as all were) by the pretty queen. "My children are fighting too…"

"Your Majesty, I shall be honored to help them," saluted the Terrapin.

Clawdia smiled. "Thank you. What is your name?"

"Koops, m'lady."

"Thank you Koops, I shall see you are not reprimanded for doing me this service. Good luck."

With a final salute, the Koopa Troopa, clad in his sparking armor ran down the hall, bracing himself for battle. Clawdia watched him go; conscription was a horrible thing. As soon as the corridor was clear, she wrenched open the closet. "Thank Koopa I found you in time."

"Mom-" gasped Bowser.

"Shh, not yet – this way," Clawdia turned and started speed-walking away once more; her son and his companions were two steps behind her. Bowser strained at the pace – he wanted to run, to be out of this place. But Bowselta hadn't had this much activity in years, and was glad for the reprieve, as were the Koopalings, exhausted from the day's whirlwind of adventure and stress.

They only met one more guard, and a maid, both of which were sent back down the side-corridors they came from by Clawdia before they could glimpse the charges in her wake. Apparently, she knew what Bowser had planned, and as they neared the back of the castle, she branched off from the main walkway, through hidden (and locked) door, and down a disused flight of crumbling stairs. There were no torches to light their path, so the eleven Dragon-Koopas picked their way by feel, eventually coming to another door.

It led to a narrow ledge in the cliff, hidden from the castle above by a lip of rock. "This is a secret entrance, only the royal family knows of it," explained Bowser, to Bowselta. "But, how did you know I had a Mosquito here?"

This was directed to Clawdia, as she rummaged in a bag slung over the seat of some sort of speeder sitting on the ground, its nose pointed out over the glowing lava 100 feet below. "The men at the hanger told me. And a good thing too: if I hadn't checked there first, Morton would have gotten wind of your treachery an hour ago."

Bowser winced. "Sorry, but I-"

"What are you apologizing for?" asked Clawdia, straightening up and throwing the bag into the wagon linked to the Mosquito, having put some stores inside. "For doing _this_? This is wonderful!" Bowser was shocked as his mother stepped forward and hugged him. "I knew you weren't like them, I knew you hated what was happening to her."

She pulled back and looked fondly into her son's face. "I knew you would do the right thing, and get these poor children out of here." She then turned to the Koopalings themselves. "I don't know exactly who you are or how you got here, but I have a feeling where you come from is a better world than this. Please tell me you can return and take them with you."

"Vee _can't_ return _viszout_ zem," said Ludwig, hoping he was telling the truth.

Clawdia smiled and looked back to Bowser. "Then at least you thought most of the plan through."

"Um, I actually had no clue about what we were gonna do once we got away. I _figured_ we'd go back to where they came, but I wouldn't call that a _plan_," said Bowser sheepishly. The Koopalings grinned wryly: some things never changed.

Clawdia sighed, but she was still smiling. "Well, the jailbreak was a stroke of genius. And I've packed some food and stores in that bag, since I figured you overlooked that detail when I found the Mosquito earlier."

"Thanks," smiled Bowser.

"Times a million!" Blurted Morton. "I'm _dying_ of hunger here."

Clawdia chuckled. "He's your son alright." She stepped to the side. "Now you must go, before things calm down enough for the lookouts to return to their posts."

"But what about you?" said Bowser. "He'll know you helped us... He always knows."

"Your father didn't know about you and Bowselta," offered Clawdia.

"There was never any witnesses," said Bowser, not letting himself be coerced into optimism. "You've talked to the guards, and the janitor, and the hanger people…"

"I know, I know," hushed Clawdia. "But you must not worry about me. Your duty is to them, I can take care of myself." After a somber pause she added. "Morton's changed, but he wouldn't dare do anything to me – _the beautiful and kind queen, beloved by her people_…"

"And with good reason," said Bowser. "Oh Mom, I can't leave you here with him! What if you meet with an 'accident', like-"

"Bowser, please. I've made my choice, as you've made yours. Now go while the skies are still safe."

The Koopa Prince was aghast, but Bowselta reached for his hand. "She's right, Bowser; we have to go."

Bowser looked to his lover for support, before turning back to Clawdia. "There isn't anything I can say to change your mind, is there?"

"No," said the queen.

Bowser took a shuddering breath. "Okay." He closed his eyes and walked to the speeder, not bearing to look at or touch his mother, lest he found himself unable to let go.

Bowselta moved to follow him, and as she passed Clawdia, the queen spoke. "I'm so sorry for all this. I tried to stop him, but it was beyond my power."

Bowselta gritted her jaw, but forced herself to be courteous. "It was beyond everyone's control. At least you're helping us now."

"But it can't undo what's been done," said Clawdia.

"No, it can't." The abused female let her eyes slide from Clawdia as she mounted the speeder behind Bowser, who was fiddling with the controls. The Koopalings crawled aboard the wagon just as the Mosquito roared to life, rising above the ground on hovering engines. It and its cargo-carrier slowly floated towards the edge.

"Hold on!" warned Bowser as he yanked down on a lever and the craft shot forward and dived towards the lava. It was scarier than any roller coaster they had been on, and it was a struggle not to scream. With another gut wrenching jerk, Bowser leveled the speeder, less than a metre above the molten rocks.

The Koopalings frightfully looked back up at Castle Koopa, half-expecting some alarm to go up as they were seen flitting over the surface of the lava. But it never came. The only one who saw the little craft cross the moat and disappear down a fiery lava river was Clawdia. Only when they were gone did she turn back to the dark corridor leading back to the castle. She would have been proud to know that Bowser never looked back.


	18. Mud

Chapter 17: Mud

The storm passed Sogapalag Island in the night, and at the first light of dawn, Bowselta had her group move out, and sent messengers to make sure the rest were roused as well. There had been some dissent at the movement (from Bowser and Kammy, as the soldiers were too scared to voice their complains), but Bowselta would have none of it. She reminded them that they turned in early the day before, and should be perfectly well rested. She herself had spent a fitful night: in her sleep she was plagued by strange dreams which roused her and sent her mind reeling as she tried to figure out why it was all coming apart at the seams. If she was up for another day of searching, so should the others, who she knew for a fact, slept (and often snored) peacefully throughout the night.

The day was bright and clear, but the cliffs were slick with mud, and tiny streams crossed the party's path, making some stretches of the track treacherous. Bowser's leg was perfectly healed by that point (partially due to Kammy's spells, though he didn't dare admit it), and he was back to his old, grumpy self. "Why would they be on a cliff anyway? Couldn't we just send Kammy to poke around in the caves?"

"How kind of you to volunteer me for the task, Your Volitionalness," said Kammy dryly.

"Hey, if I could fly, I'd be happy to do it myself," growled Bowser.

Bowselta snorted. "Yeah right."

Bowser shot her a look. "If you had installed a tracking thing on the Clown Car, we wouldn't have to do any of this."

"Me! I made it clear, long ago, that the Koopa Clown Car was _your_ hunk of junk. If you're gonna blame someone, blame Kamek."

"We didn't have mechanical tracking devices when he designed the Clown Car," defended Kammy. "My brother did the best he could with what he had."

"I guess he never heard of upgrading," grinned Bowser.

"It's hard to upgrade if you're a ghost holed up in a cave," said Kammy bitterly. She and Kamek had their share of fights – she had even fought against him the day Bowser and Bowselta killed him, but deep down, Kammy still loved her twin brother.

"Why so touchy, Haggy?" jibed Bowser, eyeing the witch suspiciously.

"It's been a rough week."

"No duh," snorted the king: Kammy would get no sympathy from him today. But then again, she _never_ elicited his condolence, so it wasn't a surprise. "Still, we could've brought a metal detector, or something," continued Bowser.

"If the Clown Car's in a cave, we'd never pick it up," said Bowselta.

"Yeah, but if it's in the forest…"

"I doubt they're down there: treasure is more of a cave-thing."

"I thought it was a buried-on-the-beach thing?" said Bowser, puzzled. "Pirate treasure is, at any rate."

"I don't think that's what the Koopalings are after."

"The what's the point of having the guards scouring the basin? We should go back and use the Cruiser to buzz the caves on the outside some more."

"It's too windy," said Kammy.

"Nuh-uh," Bowser shook his head childishly. "That was cuz there was a storm coming. Now it's nice."

"There's no harm in finishing what we started," said Bowselta patiently. "Besides, we're more than half-way done, so turning back now would be stupid."

"We could send Kammy back to bring the Cruiser over and pick us up," said the Koopa King brightly.

"Right, and where exactly would we park it for loading?" asked Bowselta sarcastically as she jumped over another little stream.

"Uhh," Bowser was so preoccupied he misjudged his landing, and thumped down too close to the stream. In an instant, the eroded ground crumbled beneath his feet. "What the- ahhh!" Bower cried out in surprise, Bowselta wheeled around and reached out, but missed her flailing husband as he fell off the cliff.

"Your Topplingness!" screamed Kammy as Bowser disappeared over the edge. She joined Bowselta at the precipice and watched as the king slid down the steep hill, headfirst and helplessly on his back. He reached the trees and with painful crashes and roars smashed into the underbrush and out of view. The noises got fainter as the distance between Bowser and the party increased, and soon only the sudden appearance of startled birds marked his progress.

Kammy groaned. "I better go get him."

"No," said Bowselta. "I know how much levitating him drains you, and we'll be walking for hours yet. I'll go down after him. See that river? We'll follow it to the ocean, up ahead. We'll wait for you there – we can search the little cove, save the basin parties some trouble. By the time the group makes it down the cliff we can meet you at the river's pass, and we can set off right away." Kammy didn't say anything, but Bowselta saw her shoulders slump. With a sigh, Bowselta pitched another idea: "I _suppose_ we have a little break – it probably wouldn't hurt."

"Thank you, Your Considerateness!" beamed Kammy. "But are you sure you want to go alone? At least take Jeffry-" she nodded to a Magikoopa messenger that had arrived earlier, "-in case you or Bowser's hurt by the descent, and then you can keep in contact-"

"Don't worry Kammy," smiled Bowselta. "We can handle a couple bumps and bruises. And besides…" Bowselta paused and lowered her voice, her face turning downcast once more. "Bowser and I need to have a little talk, about… things."

Kammy nodded understandingly. "Yes, you haven't gotten much alone time recently, have you?"

"Between the Marios, Koopalings, you and Spiky Tom, we haven't gotten _any_ at all."

The old Magikoopa chuckled. "And for that, I apologize – or at least, for my role in the matter, at any rate. I'll send someone when we reach the top of the pass, okay? Or sooner if there's an emergency."

"We'll stick to the river, so we'll be easy to find, don't worry," repeated Bowselta. "See you later." With that she stepped over the edge cliff, struggling to keep herself upright as her feet slid through the mud and water of the stream. Bowser carved and easy path to follow, and Bowselta managed to avoid the trees as she whizzed through the forest. The overgrowth was dense: the light barely filtered through and the world was green. Suddenly Bowselta was dazzled by sparkling sunshine as the forest opened up beside the river.

Bowser was standing in the shallows, wiping mud off his arms. At the sound of Bowselta sloshing down the mudslide he turned, a sour expression on his face that was soon obscured by a fresh wave of silt as Bowselta brought herself to a stop in the mire. "Hey!" sputtered Bowser. "I only just cleaned out my eyes!"

"Sorry!" chuckled Bowselta, standing up (she had leaned back and used her hand to stop). She took a few steps upstream. "Here, let me help." Before Bowser knew it, she had shoveled a wave of water into his face.

"You call that help?" he gasped.

"You can see now, can't you?" grinned Bowselta mischievously.

"Yeah, but you won't for long," threatened Bowser, ground-pounding into the mud at the side of the river, but Bowselta merely laughed and dodged the flying mire with ease.

"Warning your opponents defeat the purpose of sneak-attacks, don't you think?" she jeered, still smiling. As she opened her mouth to continue Bowser finally hit his mark with a ball of mud he had hurled.

He gasped as she staggered back, sputtering and spitting out the muck. "Sorry! I thought you were done!" He hurried towards her.

"Oh," snarled Bowselta. "_You_'re the one's who's done!" she lunged, knocking Bowser backwards into the river.

The cold water was a shock, and he couldn't hold Bowselta in place as she sprung back to her feet. But Bowser wouldn't give up that easily, and as she turned to dump another mud-pie on her husband's head, he yanked her leg out from under her.

Yelling in surprise, she found herself on her back in the riverbank, with the mud intended for Bowser splattered on her own chest and belly. She rolled out of the way of Bowser's body-slam, and laughed as he soaked himself in the muck. She was hit by the splash back too, and with a flailing leap, dove back into the shallow river's edge, only to explode out a second later and tackle Bowser to the ground once more.

He squelched into the mud, but instantly had his arms 'round Bowselta. And with a push from his tail, flipped the two of them over. Grinning and panting from the impromptu sparring match, the two Dragon-Koopas looked each other over. Aside from her now-muddy hair and back, Bowselta was clean, whereas Bowser was barely identifiable.

"You look ridiculous," quipped Bowselta.

"And you look beautiful," he responded, his voice an amorous growl as he lowed his snout and proceeded to rub the mud off his face and onto her neck.

Bowselta's eyes rolled back in rapture as she felt her husband's tongue on her flesh, making its way up to her slackened lips. But then with an altogether unrelated groan, she arched her back and rolled partially over, unceremoniously dumping Bowser back into the mud.

She sat up and looked down at her mate, shocked into immobility by the denial of his seduction, his tongue still in the air. "This is not the time, nor place."

"But we used to do it in the mud all the time," he protested.

"Key word: '_used_ to'," sighed Bowselta, looking away and getting to her feet.

Bowser watched her stand, but found he couldn't arch his neck enough to watch as she moved deeper into the water, so he pushed himself up to a recline. "What's wrong? You can't still be upset about the Koopan people hating us?"

Bowselta looked at him incredulously. "The fact that that _doesn't_ bother you is troubling."

Bowser shrugged. "I'm used to it. If I fretted about it, I'd be old and grey: I'd be Kammy!"

Bowselta smiled sadly at the joke, but looked away again. "It's not that."

"Is it the kids? Because, for the record I'm worried about them too, but…" Bowser trailed off as Bowselta shook her head. "Then, wha-"

"It's us," she said. "_We're_ what's wrong."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been thinking about this whole thing. Remember when the kids disappeared last time?"

"That was different."

"Was it?"

"Yes," insisted Bowser. "That time we defeated the Marios and accomplished our dreams and then Kamek decided to be a prick and ruin it. This time we merely lost, and the kids took it on themselves to screw things up."

"They're just trying to help," said Bowselta.

"So was Kamek, but he was helping himself, not us… Which is _another_ difference."

"What about the similarities?"

"Er, they both involved missing kids… and the Mario bros."

"And the Stars," for once Bowselta's voice wasn't filled with hate as she spoke of them. "I'm sure they had a hand in our defeat this time, just like they probably orchestrated our fall from glory last time."

"Look, no offense Bowselta, but you're becoming a bit of a zealot with all this Star-bashing." At the Koopa Queen's murderous look, Bowser hastened to defend himself. "Don't get me wrong – I hate them too, but you take it to a whole new level."

"Maybe," Bowselta only said the word to avoid further discussions of the matter with Bowser. "But it helped me see what's really going on."

_ANOTHER conspiracy theory_, Bowser resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"It's not just the Stars, it's us too. Us and our obsession with ruling the world. It's endangered the kids countless times: even if we keep them out of the actual fighting they still get into trouble."

"Just cuz they're missing doesn't mean they're in _danger_," pointed out Bowser. "For all we know they could've found what they were looking for and gone home."

"Somehow, I doubt it," said Bowselta.

"Well…" said Bowser, feeling a bit hopeless. "Well, what do you want me to do, hmm? Give up on my dreams? Abandon everything I've worked for in my life? I can't do that, Bowselta."

"I'm not asking you to," she said quietly, not looking at Bowser, who had finally stood up in a sudden fit of passion. "I share your dream, remember? I said so yesterday: I want us to win. But… I'm starting to wonder, at what price will that victory come?"

"You mean, all the dead soldiers? The humility of defeat? The- the multiple disappearances of our children?"

"Remember when we were young?" said Bowselta abruptly. "It's cliché, I know. But it's so true. We've changed so much since the day we were married, but not all of it was for the better, I think."

Bowser furrowed his brow. "I'm not following."

"What happened to the carefree days in that little cove of ours? The one with the mud and the grass-"

"And the sweet, sweet sex," finished Bowser, his eyes nearly crossing at the thought of what they did on that hill.

"Sure, that too," shrugged Bowselta.

"Well, once we had kids it became hard to sneak out," offered Bowser.

"It became a bit harder, but that didn't stop us," said Bowselta, grinning as she continued. "In fact, I'm pretty sure Lemmy, Roy _and_ Larry were all conceived in our little grotto."

"Right, I remember now," said Bowser, though he honestly never paid that much attention to where and when the nasties happened – to him, all that mattered was the 'what'. Clearing his throat he continued his wife's guessing game. "Um, well, now we have a tub and a bed so we can do it whenever we want..."

"And yet we seem to be doing it less in all three locales."

"Er, I think that's normal for married couples," said Bowser, scratching his head and sending bits of crusting mud flaking down onto his shell.

"Where'd you hear that?" snorted Bowselta amusedly.

"Morton."

"Figures."

Bowser sighed. "Umm, well, anyway, it's not decreased libido on my part, for the record. I can't speak for you, but-"

Bowselta rolled her eyes. "Actually, I wasn't talking about how much we get our rocks off – _you_ brought that up. I was focusing on the 'carefree' aspect of it all."

"Well, we became King and Queen of the Koopas…"

"But we were ruling the country long before we got the titles."

"We got involved in a bunch of wars."

"The majority of our courtship took place while we were fighting for the Koopalingas with Sarasaland," countered Bowselta.

"But that was far away and impersonal," said Bowser.

"Now you're catching on," said Bowselta, neither mocking not applauding her lover's accomplishment. "Back then, the world didn't really matter. But now it governs our lives, just as much as the damn Star Spirits." Bowselta slammed her foot in anger, before ducking down and splashing the water over her dirty face, as if she could wash herself clean inside _and_ out.

Bowser looked down at her: he had no idea what he could say, or what he could do. The testosterone injected into his blood by all the sex-talk didn't help, but his internal struggle ran much deeper than mere hormones.

Instead, Bowselta spoke again, as she stared at her rippling reflection. "We want to gain the world, but we're losing ourselves, and our children." She stood up again.

"We're not-"

"We already have!" cried Bowselta. "Why else would we be here?"

"Ohhh, I thought you were speaking _metaphorically_, I guess we have sorta lost the kids, but we'll find them, like always."

"I _was_ speaking metaphorically," growled Bowselta, sloshing back to the edge of the river. "This conversation's going nowhere – we should hurry if we wanna search the bay at the river's mouth."

"Bay?" Bowser hated being kept out of the loop. "And, hey! You can't just say that sorta stuff and walk away leaving me hanging!"

"You obviously don't understand, so why should I waste my breath," snapped Bowselta. "Now shut up, get that mud off before it hardens in your hair, and let's go."

Bowser sighed in frustration, but he obeyed all the same.


	19. Monster

Chapter 18: Monster

The Koopalings woke to find themselves still in the wagon, which was parked with the Mosquito in a shallow cave. The distant sound of the ocean and the smell of salt told them that Bowser had managed to fly them all the way to the coast through the night. From thereon in, the trip would be over open water. The prince himself was sound asleep, sprawled on the ground next to Bowselta, who was also dead to the world.

After they got a safe distance from Koopa Castle, Ludwig had told Bowser where they were going. Bowser had heard of Burt's Cove, but the fugitives knew better than to return to where the Koopalings first appeared, and Bowser had no clue about Sogapalag Island itself, much less where it was. Fortunately, while he was rummaging in the bag for food, Morton discovered that Clawdia had provided the group with a map book, covering the entire ocean and providing more than adequate directions for Bowser. Bowselta and the Koopalings figured it would be best to travel through the centre of Dark Land, as the coast was dotted with towns and they had to avoid civilization at all costs.

So Bowser flew between the volcanoes and down the rivers of lava: lands too toxic and treacherous for the hardiest settlers. In spite of their best efforts, the Koopalings soon dropped off to sleep as the day's events took their tolls on the exhausted children. Bowselta stayed awake and kept her beloved company until he brought them to the shore, found a safe place to rest, and finally let himself slide into the world of dreams as the eastern sky started to pale.

The Koopalings appreciated this, and even as the sun climbed higher in the sky, they didn't press their savior to continue the quest, busying themselves with other, quiet matters. Morton and Larry engrossed themselves in the map book while Ludwig and Iggy investigated the Mosquito, itching to turn it on, open it up and see just how it worked (but knowing better than to act on their desires). Lemmy continued to practice walking on the ends of his feet, though anything slower than a canter still gave him some measure of trouble. Roy took it upon himself to stand watch at the mouth of the cave, and unable to do anything else, Junior sulkily joined him. Wendy was bored too, but she dealt with it by putting a couple extra hours towards her beauty sleep.

It was around nine o'clock when Bowser finally roused from his slumber. After a short meal with Bowselta and the Koopalings (they had already had breakfast, but many of them were more than happy to fill their stomachs a bit more), he beckoned them aboard the Mosquito and sped them towards the sea.

-xxx-

They were lucky. There wasn't a patrol in sight as they broke out over the surf, and Bowser's daredevil maneuvering between the crashing waves to keep below the radar was wholly unnecessary. The sun shone above them as they buzzed the tides and made their way steadily across the ocean to the edges of the Koopa Kingdom and beyond. As proven by the map, Sogapalag was in Kremling waters in this dimension, but no sails appeared on the horizon even as they neared their destination four hours after their departure that morning.

They approached from the north-west, so the cave was directly ahead of them, and the Kremling fishing village was safely hidden beyond the cliffs. The waters sucked and boomed against the base of the island, swirling around dangerous boulders sticking out of the water. Bowser raised the Mosquito a bit higher off the water to avoid the rocks, but like with his departure from Koopa Castle, he waited until the last second before yanking the craft skyward. The speeder rocketed upwards, its belly hugging the rocks until it soared over the lip of the plateau beneath the Mirror cave.

Leaning forward, Bowser arced the Mosquito through the open air, and it gently coasted into the Mirror cave. "Alright, get off. Bring the bag."

The Koopalings obeyed, curious as to why Bowser hadn't shut the craft off yet. He and Bowselta slid off the Mosquito, though Bowser didn't let go of the controls. "Help me turn it around," he asked, offering no explanation as Bowselta and the Koopalings jackknifed the speeder and its wagon while Bowser pivoted the entire thing around. Now the Mosquito pointed out to sea, and once the others had the carrier straightened out behind it, Bowser cranked up the engines once more. He then pushed the craft forward, nearly running by the time he released it at the cave's mouth.

The Mosquito cut through the air, slowly curving downwards. As soon as it had passed beyond the plateau below, Bowser sent out a blast of fire. The Koopalings and Bowselta jumped as the speeder exploded, the debris raining down into the ocean. Bowser turned, his face solemn. "The cave's too narrow to have been able to bring it with us to the Mirror, and we can't have anyone find it parked here and follow us."

It was a smart decision, but Roy still felt like pointing out a possible problem: "Let's just hope da Kremlings didn't _hear_ dat."

"They're pretty far away, aren't they?" asked Bowser as he walked back towards the group.

"Yeah, but a passing ship coulda seen it."

"I didn't see any ships," shrugged Bowser. "But still, we should hurry."

Morton was already rummaging in the bag. "But what about lunch?"

"We can have it in your dimension," said Bowselta. "When we know we're out of the woods."

"Fair enough," sighed Morton, closing the pack and offering it to Prince Bowser, who shouldered it with no objection.

No one spoke as the group wound their way through the tunnel. The Koopalings had discovered that morning that Kamek's spell had worn off and they could use their Hammerspace magic again, so they had brought out their torches once more, and the firelight lit the way. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts: Bowser and Bowselta were swelled by dreams of freedom, and many of the Koopalings were eager to return home. But others were still worried, especially Junior, who feared the mirror would remain black and doom them all.

Hearts pounding, the Dragon-Koopas turned the last bend and beheld their destination. "Wow," said Bowselta as she saw the relic.

Bowser whistled. "That's a big mirror… But it looks strange, somehow."

"The reflections are blackened a bit," said Iggy.

"Like the Mirror absorbed some of the light?" asked Bowselta.

"I didn't think of that, actually," said Iggy. "But if you put it that way-"

"Oh no, don't you start dat _theorizin'_ on us," growled Roy. "We're in a hurry, rememba?"

"Roy's right," said Ludwig. "Junior, you touched the mirror last time, so you should do it this time too."

The youngest Koopaling shook his head, his eyes wide with apprehension. "Nu-uh, I'm not getting rejected again, no way!"

"Don't be a baby," snipped Wendy.

"Maybe they should do it," Junior was pointing up at Bowser and Bowselta now. "To prove they're here to see the Mirror's truth, or whatever."

"I doubt zey need to touch it to prove zey're here. Zee Mirror talked to all of us before, and only you touched it zen, remember?"

"It absorbs the light, and sees whose there," breathed Iggy.

"Why don't all three of them touch it?" suggested Larry.

"Ooh, good idea!" grinned Lemmy.

"Yeah marvelous," added Morton.

Bowser looked at Bowselta and shrugged. "What've we got to lose?"

Junior swallowed his fear and stepped forward, with the adults at his heels. He walked up to the glass, once again awed at how vast it seemed as it stretched away on either side and above him. He felt so small, even as Bowser and Bowselta's reflections filled the space around his reflection.

"Okay," said Bowser, licking his lips. "On the count of three:"

He, Bowselta and Junior raised their arms, shaking with excitement and fright.

"One… Two…. Three!"

Junior closed his eyes as he planted his hand on the cold surface, but with a surge of relief felt the familiar wave of energy erupted from under his fingers. He opened his eyes and staggered away from the swirling vortex of colour. In no time, the shadowy face of the Magic Mirror had returned, its eyes sending a red glare through the cave. "You have seen what your parents desire, and you have brought what they need," it intoned.

"So we'll be returning with the Koopalings to their dimension?" asked Bowselta her voice ringing with hope.

"Their world has not witnessed what must be, their parents have not yet seen the truth."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," growled Bowser, who hated riddle-talk.

"The quest is not over…" the Mirror's voice echoed as the colours seeped over the onlookers. They knew what was going on, but the Koopalings were just as unnerved as Bowser and Bowselta as they were once again bathed in a flash of blue and found themselves tearing through the void between dimensions, the mysterious music filling their heads anew.

Then, as before, it was suddenly over, and the group was ejected back into the cave, tumbling head over heels onto the cold, hard ground. Bowser groaned, and held a hand up to his head. "Ow, that hurt."

"Hardly," hissed Bowselta, pushing herself to her knees and looking back up at the Mirror. It was still swirling with colour.

"Zat's weird, it didn't do zat last time."

The face appeared again. "Your quest is not over yet: you must go now."

"I hope this doesn't mean we're in _another_ alternate reality," moaned Wendy.

"Only one way to find out," said Lemmy brightly, starting towards the corridor.

"Wait! We can't just leave, the Mirror's still… _on_," said Morton incredulously.

"It told us to leave," shrugged Bowser.

"Besides, the face's gone," added Bowselta, looking over her shoulder at the looking glass.

Ludwig sighed. "I guess vee _should_ go, zen."

"Finally!" cried Lemmy, leading the way, eager to continue practicing his nearly-mastered motif of walking on the balls of his feet.

As the distance between the group and the Mirror increased, Morton found himself voicing what was on everyone's mind. "I wonder what the Magic Mirror meant by 'our quest isn't over yet'."

No response.

"Maybe it meant we have to free Mom and Daddy," suggested Wendy after a moment.

At Prince Bowser's puzzled look, she elaborated. "They were captured in a battle – that's why we're here: we wanted to find a way for them to win."

"Which the Mirror interpreted as the Koopas ruling the world," added Morton.

"Oh," said Bowser, still rather confused but in no mood to learn the full story of this dimension just yet. He was perfectly happy to hear a brief, second-hand recap from Bowselta after the Koopalings had fallen asleep, but doubted he could assimilate any more in such a short time period.

"Yes!" came Lemmy's voice. "Guys, we're home!"

The others ran the last stretch of tunnel, to find Lemmy standing beside the Koopa Clown Car.

"What's that?" asked Bowselta.

"Our ride home," said Ludwig. "Vee just need to get it out of zee cave so vee can load up." Bowser and Bowselta would be too heavy to crawl into the chopper before righting it, and too large to fit between the rim and the cavern's ceiling after it was upright. But after a couple failed attempts, Ludwig managed to get himself into the car, and the car into the air. He piloted it out of the cave and landed on the plateau below, watching as the rest of the group slithered and jumped down the cliff.

"Great," he began, turning around to return to the Car after Roy (who had taken up the rear) reached the ground. "Vee should get a move on right avay vile zee veaszer's good, and vee can eat on zee va-"

But he was cut off as a blast of energy shot through the sky and hit the Clown Car, which, like the Mosquito, exploded. Ludwig jumped back as shrapnel flew through the air, and the group whirled around to see King Morton Koopa standing in the cave's mouth, his eyes flashing as brightly as his smoldering scepter.

"Father!" gasped Bowser in horror. "But how-"

"Fool! Did you honestly think you could escape _me_?" Morton leapt from his perch; the ground shook from his landing. Luke and Alexis dropped behind him, and Kamek floated down to complete the group. "I had Kamek find you with his crystal ball the moment I realized you were gone."

Bowser flashed Kamek a dark look, before locking eyes with his murderous father once again. "But how did you follow us through the Mirror?"

"We followed you over the ocean in a cloaked airship. Then Kamek and Alexis used some spells to let us follow you hidden and silent down the cave. We didn't have enough power to bring the troops we brought on the ship, but they were just a precaution anyway: I can finish you off myself without any difficulty."

"If you were going to kill us, why not do it in our sleep? Why not recapture us and slit our throats on the palace steps like you've done to everyone else who turned their back on your reign of terror!" challenged Bowser.

Morton laughed, leering at the Koopalings now. "Well, I just _had_ to see where the little rats came from – and make sure to send my regards to their _parents_."

"So you vant to kill zee Bowser and Bowselta here too?" snarled Ludwig.

"And take over their army," grinned Morton sadistically. "I could use the extra hands when I take over the Waffle Kingdom. But don't worry, I know my limits. I assume the me from this dimension is dead? No matter, I'm sure enough of my friends are still around. King K. Rool? Wart, perhaps? Cackletta?"

"She's dead," said Roy.

"Pity," Morton was emotionless.

"You won't get away with this!" spat Prince Bowser.

"But I will, Bowser. You make me sick, to think that you were once my son!"

"What do you mean by that?" Bowser's eyes narrowed.

"No son of mine would betray me for a whore and a pack of her little bastards," Morton's voice crackled with contempt. "And for that, you will die!"

"Wait, what?" gasped Luke, springing forward and looking his father in the face with wide-eyes. "Y- you didn't say anything about THAT!"

"Yeah," agreed Alexis, walking up next to her brother. The twins were now between Morton and his prey.

The king looked from one to the other. "Learn your place, brats. I don't need to tell you anything I don't want to. Bowser has betrayed you too, now stand aside and let me deal with him. If you will not help me execute the criminals than so be it: as I said before, I can do it myself."

Luke's eyes were practically bulging out of his head as he began to tremble and wheeze, not knowing what to do. As always, Alexis did the thinking for him: "No."

"'No'?" growled Morton.

Alexis shook her head, standing her ground. "You can't kill our brother, that's going too far. We- we won't let you."

"Yeah!" gasped Luke, white as a sheet.

"Impudent little-" Morton silenced Kamek with a wave of his arm.

"Don't waste your breath, Kamek." Morton backed away from his defecting children. "Very well, then, you'll join Bowser and the trash."

Alexis saw the attack in the nick of time, and lunged, shoving Luke onto the ground and out of the way of a second blast of the wand. The twins were on their feet and ran towards the flaming wreckage of the Clown Car, using the debris as shielding as they zig-zagged their way to their wayward brother, hoping that safety really was in numbers.

With an enraged roar Morton sent the entire wreckage flying out to sea, giving himself a clear shot of the assembled refugees.

He unleashed a barrage of lighting, which Ludwig, Bowser and Iggy frantically diverted with their own abilities. As they were distracted, Kamek let loose with a wave of spells, most of which were countered by Alexis and Wendy. King Morton, red in the face with rage, swung his staff through the air above his head, roaring as fire and lightning filled the sky above its targets. It was impossible to stop this time, and the Dragon-Koopas were helpless against Kamek's next flurry of spells.

They stood frozen in a screaming cloud of pain, when a blast of technicolour fire interrupted Morton's spell. Kamek even stopped his attack in shock as everyone raised their faces to see Clawdia standing on the ledge. The air around her sparkled from her attack, and made her glow in comparison to the black cave at her back.

"Clawdia! What are you doing?" demanded Morton.

"No, what are _you_ doing?" she cried. "You're torturing our children!"

"No child of mine would turn on me like that, and for what?"

"For love," said Clawdia. "Bowser stopped you from murdering the children because he loves Bowselta, and Luke and Alexis love him. As do I, and I will not let you hurt a single one of them – not any more!"

Morton didn't even bother asking how Clawdia managed to follow him – he didn't think her light manipulation powers where _that_ powerful, but he was obviously mistaken. Not that he cared now. "You're a fool! Love is useless!"

"Love is life," she protested. "It's the energy around us and inside us."

"That's a load of tripe," snarled Morton.

"You used to love me," said Clawdia. "Life used to be simple and wonderful. But then you changed. You stopped caring about what was truly important."

"You're wrong! I _started_ concerning myself with things bigger than me, bigger than both of us – the world!"

Clawdia shook her head. "No. You don't care about that, but about what comes with it."

"The power to crush all who oppose me? To make the world how I see fit – how the world _should_ be?"

"It _shouldn't_ be like this!" Clawdia had tears running down her face. "It _never_ should have been like this! Don't you see? This is wrong!"

"_They're_ what's wrong!" bellowed Morton, pointing his staff at the group, still recovering from the last blow against the cliff wall at the end of the plateau. "I told you I'd fix the world, and make it one, unified nation – just like the Koopa Kingdom: you supported me _then_."

"That was before you locked teenagers away just for being Dragon-Koopas. That was before you set out to kill your own son. That was before you turned into a monster!"

Morton looked away. "He's not my son." Without warning the staff started to glow: not just the jeweled tip, but the golden shaft as well. Morton's cape whipped around his body even though the wind had suddenly died. It was eerily quiet as a black stream of 'light' erupted from the scepter, searing towards the group who merely stood in paralyzed fear. Even Alexis knew she couldn't stop it.

The world was in slow-motion. They all heard Clawdia cry out, they saw her throw herself off the cliff, but it wasn't until the beam struck the Dragon-Koopa that they could truly understand what was going on. The Koopa Queen reeled and screamed, suspended in mid-air as the energy ripped at her body. The rainbow colours of her hair and shell shone and flashed, her eyes glowed white but her skin was turning black.

Bowser, Alexis, Luke, Bowselta and the Koopalings watched in horror as Clawdia melted within the ball of light. Even as the mass of black ooze started to swell, garbled screams and wails still filled the air, but it wasn't Clawdia anymore: it was the sound of death itself, and over it they could barely hear Morton's psychotic laughter as his monster came to life. It continued to grow; feet appeared, and a tail, and arms. A shell – covered in dozens of needle-like spikes – formed, as did a grotesque head with curving horns and an upturned snout. The thing hit the ground and roared, its mouth was purple and its snout lined with razor-sharp teeth. Its eyes were red, as was its hair; its shell was green, and its body an ugly, dark yellow. Its belly scales continued down its triple-spiked tail and it wore spiked bracers and a collar to boot.

Morton's cackling filled the air. "Behold! My greatest creation! The only son I've ever needed – ever _deserved_! Giga Bowser!"


	20. Appetite

**A/N****: Just a short note about Giga Bowser: I'm not the first author who's worked him/it into a non-**_**Super Smash Bros.**_** story and taken much liberty with his origins. However, as **_**SSB**_** isn't **_**Mario**_**, but a crossover series about trophies that come to life and duke it out, I feel no obligation to uphold its canonicity. But enough of my fanatical ranting, and on with the story!**

Chapter 19: Appetite

It started out as a peaceful trip: just Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy, with Toad piloting their little yacht. They had been worried that they would run into the bad weather that had ravaged Channel K the day before, but when the morning of their cruise arrived, it was bright and sunny. They left early in the morning after bidding Toadsworth and King Toadstool farewell, and by lunchtime they were in the heart of the archipelago.

They were cruising by Sogapalag Island when things went wrong. Daisy was absentmindedly watching the impressive yet dull cliffs ringing the isle when she saw a mysterious flash of light, and an echoing explosion. The boat wasn't very close to the island, and the others were too busy chatting as they prepared lunch to hear anything, but Daisy now had her full attention on the island. She could see something burning, and wondered what it was, or what was happening. Suddenly there were more flashes of light, and Daisy couldn't stay silent any more. "Hey guys! There's something going on on that island!"

"What do you mean?" asked Peach, but as she saw the flashing lights on the islands she got her answer.

"I think it's a fight!" said Daisy.

"Ooh, maybe we should get outta here," shivered Luigi.

"Oh no! We have to-a-stop it!" cried Mario heroically.

"But what if it's pirates?" yelped Luigi.

"What if it's someone innocent getting attacked?" interjected Peach. "We can't just turn our backs."

"Oh yeah! Toad! Take us to the-a-island!"

"If you say-so!" chirped the faithful retainer. The fighting on the island had stopped, but as the boat neared the island the vacationers caught a glimpse of an eerie black… thing. And what looked like someone leaping from higher up the cliff, and suddenly a horrible shrieking filled the air.

Peach was instantly reminded of Bowselta's cry in the dungeons, mere days ago – no, less than that. "Faster Toad!" she gasped. The boat ripped forward through the water; the last thing the group saw above them was a horrible black blob. The yacht pitched in the rough waters, threatening to smash into the cliff or the rocks at its base, but Mario paid the danger no heed as he leapt from the craft and onto the rock wall.

He jumped between tiny ledges and protrusions in the cliff, followed closely by Luigi, Daisy and Peach. Toad was forced to stay behind and keep the boat afloat, in case his friends found the need for a quick getaway, which, as a grotesque roar filled the air, Toad figured would happen quite soon.

-x-

The sight that met the humans as they reached the plateau would forever stick in their minds. Bowser was there, shrouded in a black cloak, carrying a golden staff tipped with a glowing green gem, and with a Magikoopa floating at his shoulder (if they didn't know Kamek was dead, they would have sworn it was him). But what was truly shocking was the monster that stood in the middle of the ledge. It looked like Bowser, but was three or four times as large, darker in colour, and ugly beyond belief.

"What the- who are you?" demanded 'Bowser'.

"It's-a-me! Mario!" responded the plumber automatically.

"Why'd he have to ask?" muttered Luigi suspiciously.

Just then, Daisy and Peach appeared. The latter stared at 'Bowser' and the monster, but the sight at the other end of the plateau made her cry out. "The Koopalings!"

"Peach!" croaked Ludwig, he and the others didn't look good. They were with some other Dragon-Koopas Peach had never seen before, one of which looked like a living skeleton. There was fear in all of their eyes.

"What-" Peach's question was cut short as Daisy shouted in fear. The Mushroom Princess whipped around to see the monster charging right at her and her friends.

"Oh noooo!" cried Mario, lunging towards the beast, whipping out a Fire Flower as he went. Luigi swallowed a Super Mushroom and charged up his Thunderbrand as one of the monster's hands came towards him. The plumbers sprang in a whirlwind of fire and electricity, but in a flash, Mario was sent flying, and Luigi was lifted up into the air by the creature.

"Whaaa!" he cried, shocking the monster with his Thunderbrand even as his Mushroom powers seeped out of him. The beast roared and flung Luigi into the air. The green plumber fell, flailing his arms uselessly as Giga Bowser's jaws filled his field of vision.

"Luigi!" screeched Daisy as her boyfriend was swallowed by the monstrosity.

"Oh my!" gasped Peach, standing in total shock (just like the Koopalings and their friends) as Daisy rushed the beast.

"Oh nooooo!" screamed Mario, making a run at King Morton Koopa, but he was forcibly made airborne once more, this time by Kamek.

Daisy jumped up at her opponent, filling the airs with flower petals. But they did the Sarasaland Princess no good as Giga Bowser swiped them away, freezing her with the attack. It then turned and blasted Mario with fire, singeing the plumber and sending him careening to the ground, where it pinned him with a massive foot.

It turned back and ducked its head, smashing the ice block with its fangs and gulping down the princess that was inside. It swung its head towards Mario, but before it could eat its next victim the air was filled with bombs. Having come to her senses, Peach decided to (grudgingly) take a page from Wario and Waluigi's book and employ one of her rarely used and most hated magical defenses. But to her horror, the bombs didn't do much to the monster, just make it mad.

It roared and Peach hoped it would charge, forgetting about Mario and giving him another chance to attack. But it was apparently smarter than that, and even as Mario set its foot ablaze with his Firebrand, Giga Bowser's drooling snout made a final approach. Peach screamed as it took Mario's head and ripped him from under the foot. It flipped its skull, and the plumber screamed as his body spun between the jaws before following Luigi and Daisy to a gruesome fate.

Peach couldn't believe what was happening. She shot a fleeting glance over her shoulder to discover the Koopalings frozen in fear and horror, before glaring at 'Bowser'. "What are you doing?"

"Feeding my son," growled Morton. "He's got a _big_ appetite." With that, Giga Bowser charged again, but Peach was faster. She dived past the gaping jaws and ran between the thing's legs, she flung a frying pan at Kamek, and as he whacked it away with a spell she blasted him with a bomb. Morton's eyes widened as Peach pulled out another bomb, but before she could throw it, a massive hand seized her from behind. The bomb slid from her fingers as Princess Peach Toadstool was plunged headfirst down Giga Bowser's throat.

-x-

The Koopalings, Bowser, Bowselta, Luke and Alexis were frozen in shock as Peach's final scream echoed off the cliffs. Once more, the air became filled with Morton's deranged laughter.

"Fools! At least you got a preview of your own fate!" Morton cackled as Giga Bowser turned and blasted the unseen ship at the foot of the cliff. The deadly explosion echoed around the island's exterior as the monster faced its next victims. With a roar, it charged, belching a monstrous flame at the group. As the fire rushed towards him, Prince Bowser felt a determination in him he never felt before: he had come too far for it to end like this.

He spat his own flame towards the oncoming inferno; by normal standards it was big, but compared to the Giga's it was puny. But a split second later, his was joined by Luke and Alexis' attacks, and then by Ludwig and Lemmy's (the other Koopalings weren't old enough to manage anything greater than single fireballs). The streams of fire met in mid air, deflecting the other flare. But Giga Bowser, still exhaling its fire, was closing the distance between it and its prey once more, and soon it would be all over.

"Oh no you don't!" cried a voice from on-high, as Kammy dived past the lip of the Island's rock wall, sending a triad of spinning shapes into the flames, ending the stalemate with an explosion.

Kamek gasped in horror as Giga Bowser turned its attention to Kammy, narrowly missing her with another stream of flames. He turned to Morton pleadingly. "Stop it! That's my sister!"

"NO ONE DISOBEYS ME!" roared Morton, smacking his oldest friend and Chief Advisor away. Kamek's eyes were wide as he barely avoided falling of his broom. He stared at Morton for a second, overwhelmed by the betrayal, but as another roar shook the plateau, the old Magikoopa steeled himself and shot forward. Kammy had been doing okay, but she had to get in close to land any attacks, and the fancy maneuvering was not the aging witch's her forte at all. With a cry she was knocked from her broom, and screamed as she fell towards Giga Bowser's yawning mouth.

She never reached it. Kamek grabbed her arm, yanking her up and out of harm's way.

"_Kamek?_" she gasped. "What's going on?"

"No time to explain," he said, trying to swing her up behind him on the broom. Giga Bowser had been kept busy by a barrage of fireballs from the Dragon-Koopas below, but managed to send another blast of its own fire skyward.

"No!" cried Kamek, seeing the attack coming and trying in vain to fly away, but the strain of holding Kammy was too much, and the flames engulfed the two Magikoopas. They fell towards the ground, being scooped up by the monster on the way and eaten alive, just like the last people who tired to stop Morton's creation.

This time, the Giga immediately went after the Dragon-Koopas, but when they tried to counter, its flame barreled right through their attacks. The ground shattered, sending the group flying backwards into the cliff.

"It absorbs the power of whatever it eats!" cried Alexis, pushing herself up from the floor.

"We are _so_ dead," moaned Luke, as the group watched the beast stomp towards them.

Then, for the second time that day, fire rained down from the heavens, this time clipping Giga Bowser in the face, making it rear up in anger. The Koopalings and their companions looked up to see two figures sliding down the nearly vertical cliff to their left. With a final spring, Queen Bowselta Koopa skidded to a halt, her back to her children and her snarling face towards the monster. King Bowser thudded down beside her, but his expression immediately turned to that of horrified alarm. "Holy shit! What is that thing!"

Across the ledge, King Morton chuckled. "Well, well, well, I'm surprised to see _you_ here so soon."

Bowselta blinked. "Is that-"

"King Morton Koopa!" crowed the villain. "I followed your little brats through the Magic Mirror – back to their world from my own."

"But- how? …Wha?" Bowser was utterly confused.

"Morton's trying to kill us!" exclaimed Ludwig.

"That thing just ate Kammy and Kamek and the Marios!" cried Morton Jr.

"And Mama Peach!" added Bowser Jr.

"Oh, and Daisy too," continued Morton.

"And he killed Mom," breathed Prince Bowser.

King Bowser stared at his alternate self, before looking at Luke and Alexis and back to King Morton. "What the hell's going on!"

"Don't worry," sneered the other King of the Koopas. "You won't be confused for long." On cue, Giga Bowser roared and charged.

Queen Bowselta and her husband shot more fireballs at the beast, and the alternate reality Koopa siblings followed suit.

"Our only hope's to destroy Giga Bowser!" cried Alexis.

"_Excuse me?_" gasped the befuddled King Bowser.

"Not _you_, it!" Alexis pointed at the Giga with her wand, making the best of it by sending a crackling spell at the creature.

"It's what he named that thing," elaborated Iggy.

"Who cares? We can't stop something like that!" cried Luke in despair as Giga Bowser was barely beaten back by the Koopa King and Queen's next bursts of fire.

"Don't be so negative!" protested Lemmy.

"I'm with him," whined Junior. "It ate _Mario_, what chance do _we_ have?"

"Especially if it consumed his power," added Wendy.

"And the other humans', and Kammy's and Kamek's," continued Morton Jr.

"If vee just stand around and give up, vee'll certainly die! Is zat vat you vant?" snapped Ludwig, tearing his eyes off the barrage of fire, thunder and magic the adult Dragon Koopas (except Bowselta Parakay) were currently using to hold off Giga Bowser.

"Ludwig's right, we have ta fight!" roared Roy.

"No!" Bowselta Koopa whirled around. "You are NOT going up against that thing."

"But you _need_ us!" insisted Ludwig.

"No we don't, it's six against one as it is," began Bowselta.

"Five to one, actually," admitted her alternate self, holding out her de-clawed fingers. "I'm afraid Morton made sure I'd be no use as a fighter years ago."

Queen Bowselta stared at her woebegone doppelganger in horror when Alexis turned around. "We can't hold him off like this!"

"Then we'll fight tooth and claw!" announced Queen Bowselta, looking back her fellow combatants. They still had their backs to her as they continued to try and hold off the Giga, but they listened all the same. "We'll go in close, and overwhelm it. It can't aim at all of us."

"But we'll get _eaten_!" exclaimed Luke.

"It's better than getting barbecued staying here!" roared Prince Bowser. "What do we have to lose? This way we can lure it away from them too." He looked over his shoulder at this, making eye contact with his Bowselta.

"Great! Then let's GO!" King Bowser broke away from the line, charging towards the monster that bore his name. The other four fighters followed and before the Giga knew what was going on, it was surrounded by angry Dragon-Koopas. The Bowsers circled around the outside, blasting the monster with thunder and fire. Alexis and Luke took each other's hands and spun themselves around, leaving a trail of holograms in their wake, which flooded onto Giga Bowser. The originals jumped up too, Luke scratching and biting, and Alexis racking the burning tips of her and Ludwig's wands across the thing's skin.

Bowselta's attack was similar to the twins', as she jumped up and slashed at the beast with her sword, splashing its black blood over her arms and body. The beast roared and swung its arms at its assailants, trying to knock them off. The first real blow came when it kicked out and sent Luke tumbling across the plateau towards the edge. He dug in his claws and got to his feet. "Why's it always the cute, funny guy that gets it?" he moaned to no one in particular as he ran back to the action.

Prince Bowser got clipped with an ice-slash, but Alexis melted him with a spell before the Giga could scoop him up. "Thanks!" he called.

"You owe me one!" she responded, narrowly avoiding a swipe of her own, but getting snatched up by the other hand. She screamed as the monster flipped her into its mouth, saved only by the fact that she was too large to swallow in one gulp like the rest. Instead its teeth sunk into Alexis' torso as she howled in pain.

"No!" cried Prince Bowser. As much as he loathed his sister at times, he also loved her, and jumped up to save her, blasting the monster's head with fire and smashing his shell into its throat. The dual attack startled the creature, and Alexis fell from its jaws, hitting the ground with a thud. "Lexie!" cried Bowser, using a long-lost childhood nickname as he dropped to his knees over his bleeding sister.

"Ugh, don't… call... 'Lexie'…" she moaned.

"Thank Koopa!" gasped Prince Bowser, before spitting onto his hands and running them over her worst wounds.

"Hey!" she was suddenly wide-awake and smacking her brother. "Perv!"

"Spit's liquid-bandages!" he responded.

"I'll lick my own – look out!" Alexis snatched one of her wands from the dirt, sending a spell over her brother's shoulder and blasting the giant foot that would have crushed them both otherwise. The Giga roared and staggered backwards, nearly squashing Luke instead. "Now you owe me double!"

"But _I_ saved _you_ just now!"

"I wouldn't've been nabbed if I hadn't saved you first: all you did was make up for your mistake!" Alexis was furious as she picked up the second wand and ran after Giga Bowser, doing a pirouette as she went to surround herself with holograms, hoping they would keep her from being grabbed again.

Prince Bowser was a mix of anger at her childish behavior, and fear at how close she had come to death. He got up and returned to the fight.

-x-

Watching from the side-lines, the battle was pandemonium to the Koopalings and Bowselta Parakay. They couldn't understand how the Giga was keeping track of its opponents, but it seemed one step ahead of them at every turn. It would turn around when someone tried to jump up from behind, it would always target the real Alexis or Luke amidst a sea of clones, it would always kick and swipe at the right time. True, the Dragon-Koopas were dealing lots of damage, but they were taking nearly as much.

"How is it so good?" asked Bowselta rhetorically.

The Koopalings winced as King Bowser sustained a nasty blow from the monster's tail. "They'll never win at this rate," said Wendy.

"Did you see Alexis's close-call? It's only a matter of time before someone's not so lucky," said Junior darkly.

"Oh, that's a lovely thing to say! Just lovely!" spat Wendy.

"You started it!"

"Enough! Zat's not helping anyvone!" bellowed Ludwig.

"It's not like we _can_ help!" exclaimed Iggy in frustration.

"Why won't she let you fight?" asked Bowselta.

"She's afraid for our safety," scoffed Roy.

The cripple shook her head. "She's partially right. You'd probably not last long out there."

"Oh yeah? Why do you say that?" challenged Junior.

"Because we're bite-sized!" grinned Morton.

"How can you treat this as a joke?" gasped Wendy.

"I'm not – it's the truth. Giga Bowser'd scarf us down and have even more power to kill the rest!"

"Now who's being morbid?" leered Junior.

Larry and Lemmy stood apart from the others. Larry was intently watching the Giga for some sort of clue about how it fought so well. Lemmy just wanted away from his siblings' infighting. His morose gaze drifted to King Morton, who stood away from the violence, unmolested. With his Magikoopa body-guard gone, Morton didn't want anyone to come near his person, and at the beginning of the battle, Giga Bowser did everything it could to block anyone who tried to branch off and go after its maker. Soon Bowselta Koopa had cried "forget Morton!" and the others obeyed.

Even the Koopalings obeyed, and were too busy fighting with each other or watching their parents fight for their lives to pay Morton any heed. But Lemmy thought it was a bit odd how he was moving his arms and staff as he watched the fight. It was like a bad cheer, or like Roy when he watched boxing and mimed along with the TV. Except, as Morton dipped and swung the staff, Lemmy realized he wasn't copying Giga Bowser – the monster was copying him.

"It's Morton!" he gasped, Larry looked at him, and then at King Morton. He watched as the sorcerer appeared to mutter something, and how Giga Bowser instantly turned around and lashed at Bowselta, who had been poised to jump up onto his back from behind.

"You're right," said Larry.

"Guys!" cried Lemmy, hurrying back to the others. "I know what's going on!"

-x-

With a yelp, King Bowser felt a set of gargantuan toes nail him in the stomach. He fell back and just had time to see cavernous, bloody holes in his belly before a massive hand slammed down onto him and lifted him mercilessly into the air. He shot a blast of fire at the Giga's face, but it countered with its own, singing the King of the Koopas. It would have bitten off his head there and then if Bowselta had not used the fire as cover to leap to her mate's rescue. With a grunt, she swung her sword, completely chopping off the fingers holding Bowser captive.

The King hit the ground, surrounded by the severed digits, which promptly turned to seething black goo right in his face. He struggled to push himself up and away from the mire but Giga Bowser's foot came down fast and hard on the Dragon-Koopa's back, and slammed him back into the granite ground. The monster didn't even care about the spikes sticking its foot as it swatted at Bowselta in rage. She dodged the bloody hand, but the other set of claws raked her side, sending her careening into the ground. She tumbled over, looking down to see her leg had been slashed open: the skin and scales hung ragged as the muscles quivered in plain sight, blood pouring down onto the rocks.

Like Prince Bowser, Bowselta slathered her hand in spit, smoothing the severed skin back over the open wound, hoping it wouldn't be too large to self-coagulate before long. The gash continued up her body, but she had no time to do more than a patch job as she turned her attention back to Giga Bowser. The Koopa siblings had kept it too distracted to finish off the fallen king and queen, but it still had Bowser pinned belly-down and unable to manage a single counter-attack. Bowselta moved to get up, but the injured leg gave out beneath her, stinging even more as she landed with her body pushing it into the gravel and dust.

Her movement alerted Giga Bowser and it smacked Luke away nonchalantly, glaring down at the queen and preparing to blast her with fire. With no time to lose, she reached over her shoulder, her hand closing around a handle in her Hammerspace. She flung the dagger immediately, sending it spinning end-over-end – right into Giga Bowser's right eye.

It roared in pain and King Bowser used the opportunity to wrench himself free of its foot. He scrambled away on all fours, before turning and sending a blast of electricity at the Giga, forcing it back even more. Now it was Luke's turn: with a crazed war-cry, he let lose a flurry of Hammers, pelting Giga Bowser with the projectiles.

"Good idea!" called Prince Bowser, copying his brother's move. Alexis didn't inherit the ability of enhanced Hammerspace, so she let loose with a flurry of blinding and painful spells instead. The Giga roared and flailed, not noticing as King Bowser flung Bowselta into the air until it was too late. The sword that once belonged to Queen Churcha Katrooka was driven deep into Giga Bowser's chest: the entire blade disappeared – only the hilt, held firmly in Bowselta's grip remained clear. The monstrosity gave an unearthly roar as Bowselta fell away, dragging the weapon with her.

Her leg crumbled upon her landing, but both Bowsers were at her side, hoisting her up and racing after Luke and Alexis, back to the Koopalings and the other Bowselta as Giga Bowser crashed to the ground behind them. They reached the group and turned, grinning with bloodthirsty satisfaction and panting with exhaustion as they saw the beast dying in a puddle of (mostly) black blood.

Then Morton started laughing. "Idiots, you think you'll get away so easily?" He raised his staff high in the air, setting it aglow. Instantly, both Morton and Giga Bowser were surrounded in an eerie black aura. The blood was seeping back from the rocks, and the monster was starting to stir.

"No!" breathed Queen Bowselta.

"It can't be!" gasped Alexis.

"How can this happen?" wailed Luke.

"He's healing it, right?" asked King Bowser.

"Yes," nodded Ludwig. "Lemmy and Larry figured it out: Morton and Giga Bowser are linked. Zat's vhy you vere having such a difficult time trying to trick it: it had a guiding hand."

"So the chaos of the fight wasn't so detrimental to its game," continued Morton Jr.

"And it makes sense that he can use the connection to do other stuff – like, healing Giga Bowser," finished Wendy.

"Can we stop calling it that?" grunted King Bowser.

"Yeah, honestly," winced the prince of the same name.

"Don't be babies!" snapped Bowselta Koopa. "Anyway, it looks like we'll have to go after Morton if we want to win."

"But the freak of nature stopped us whenever we tried before, remember? There's no way we can handle both!" said Luke.

"Let us deal vit Morton," announced Ludwig.

"What?" gasped Bowselta. "I though I made it clear: _no fighting_."

"No fightin' _Giga Bowser_," growled Roy, ignoring his fathers' winces. "You guys're half-dead already, and we ain't gonna sit around while dat psycho finishes ya off."

Bowselta shot an anxious look over her shoulder to make sure Morton and Giga Bowser were still preoccupied with healing before continuing. "No, I won't let you put yourselves in danger."

"We're _already_ in danger!" beseeched Junior.

"Once Morton's done with you, he'll come after us," added Lemmy.

"Then use the time we buy you to get away from here. We sent a messenger to get the Koopa Cruiser and the other troops as soon as we heard the sounds of battle here," explained Bowselta.

"We're not gonna run!" asserted Iggy.

"No way! No how!" chorused Morton.

"You vant to save us from harm, Muzzer, but it's too late for you to stop it, zee veel's already in motion." Bowselta looked at Ludwig. His black eye had healed in the night, but his face still bore the shadowy bruises. She turned her gaze to the other Koopalings, meeting the same look of grim determination.

"Aw man!" exclaimed Luke as Giga Bowser broke free of the black aura and turned towards the group with a roar.

"His power's diverted to the Giga," added Larry. "He just hit Kamek before, remember? That's the worst he can do to us, really – more bruises…"

"Even so…" Bowselta recognized she was fighting a losing battle. She didn't even look up as the Bowsers, Luke and Alexis ran to meet Giga Bowser's latest charge. "Distracting Morton won't be enough. We'll defeat Giga Bowser again, but it'll just get back up. It's hopeless."

"You sound like Luke," intoned Bowselta Parakay, stepping forward. "It's true, we can only stop this fight by killing Morton, not the Giga. Your kids told me he was killed when his castle collapsed in this dimension…"

"Yes…" Queen Bowselta didn't know where… _she_ was going with this.

"There are loose rocks up there," the misfortunate Dragon-Koopa spoke without looking up, lest Morton was watching the conversation and guessed what she was planning. "I'm sure that if the Koopalings get Morton in position, I can dislodge some and crush him."

The plan was good – seeing as it was coming from herself, Bowselta wasn't surprised – but the Queen of the Koopas was still apprehensive. "I dunno-"

"Look, if you don't let them do this, we're all going to die," snapped Parakay. "I've been locked up for over fifteen years, I've been tortured out of my mind for days on end. The only thing that got me through it was Bowser, and I know what these kids are feeling – being forced to sit on their hands and do nothing while the people they love risk it all for them. Morton did this to me-" Bowselta pointed at the jagged scar on her face, and drew her hand down to indicate her entire mutilated body. "-don't let him do it again, because I assure you, he will."

Queen Bowselta Koopa looked away from the mirror, contemplating the bloody sword in her hand. She didn't know it was the reason why her counterpart had suffered so much, but it still meant a lot to her. "Fine," she looked up, at Parakay, and then at her kids. "Don't let us down. And for Koopa's sake, don't get yourselves killed!"


	21. Staff

**A/N****: This whole fight scene used to be one chapter, but I broke it down into halves. Aren't I considerate? Also, I know I don't have Giga Bowser's elemental powers canonicly allotted, but I don't care.**

Chapter 20: Staff

Bowselta Koopa turned and sprinted to the fight; she ran with a limp, but the saliva had done the trick and the leg was usable now. The Koopalings followed their mother, circling around the violence and descending on a bewildered Morton Sr. They surrounded him as the adults accosted Giga Bowser.

They used all the tricks in the book. Ludwig and Iggy alternated between firebreath and lightning, Roy threw rocks at the king's head, Wendy sent gold rings spinning dangerously through the air, the Jr.s used sonic screeches, and Lemmy and Larry would make runs at the monster. In turn, King Morton Koopa swung his staff, trying to club the children, but having no success in dealing a blow similar to the one that struck Ludwig to the ground in his castle. He roared, but as Larry predicted, no fire escaped his jaws. He managed to hit some of the Koopalings, but the scrapes and bruises didn't slow them down at all.

-x-

Not only was Morton too busy with the kids to help Giga Bowser (who was now a much easier – though still deadly – adversary for the adults), he also didn't notice Bowselta Parakay inching her way up the cliff. The tips of her broken fingers started to bleed a quarter of the way up, and her breath came in ragged gasps, but she pressed on. She had to. Her mind flashed back to her youth, and she found herself scrambling up the wall, black smoke billowing above her head as she frantically made her way to the destroyed Bob-Omb factory. The sky was clear and blue today, but her heart still pounded in her ears, and her throat clenched at the thought of what would happen should she fail.

It seemed like the end of the climb would never come. What little muscle Bowselta had burned, she was sure she had sweated almost all the liquid in her body, her fingers had lost all feeling. Her vision was swirling, she felt sick; suddenly she reached out for more rock, and there wasn't. Her arm bent over the edge of the cliff, and her fingers scrapped on the dusty plateau. She gasped in elated surprise and started to pull her body upwards, but her hand, slick with blood, was sliding back towards the edge. Bowselta's eyes widened in terror as she tried to get a better grip, but the world was spinning around her.

Suddenly she felt small hands clutch her own. They weren't very strong, but they stopped her from sliding back off the cliff, and jolted her back to her senses. With a moaning grunt she reached up with her other hand and curled the fingers over the edge. In no time she had finally slid her bony belly onto solid ground, and panting, she stared up at her rescuer: a plain, ordinary Koopa Troopa. "Who-_gasp_-who are you?" she demanded.

His response was matter-of-fact: "Johnson."

-x-

With a strangled yelp, Lemmy was sent flying. He had jumped down on King Morton from behind, taking advantage of the cape that cushioned the spikes on his shell. But feeling the tug of the Koopaling's claws, the necromancer whipped around and smashed Lemmy just as he lost his grip on the fabric. Like a baseball, he sailed across the plateau, skidding and tumbling to a halt and lying in an unconscious heap ion the floor.

He wasn't the first Koopaling to go down: Wendy had been felled after jumping in close to try and stupefy Morton with a flying kiss. It had dissipated on his cheek without any effect at all, and a backhanded slap sent her careening into Iggy as he let off a barrage of lightning. Wendy was fried and Iggy was traumatized over what he had done to her.

The others decided to keep their distance, out of the range of Morton's deadly follow-through. They screamed, flamed, electrocuted and threw rocks from their wary circle, but nothing seemed to work. Even with his ground-pounding breaking up the scenery, Roy was having problems finding more rocks to hurl at the king, though after one was whacked right back into Larry, he decided that was okay. They obviously weren't going to get anything done the way they were going about it: no matter what they tried, Morton stayed rooted to the spot. It didn't matter that Bowselta was more than halfway up the cliff if Morton wasn't nowhere near the bottom, and it didn't matter if the adults felled Giga Bowser if Morton was there to bring him right back to life again.

The staff was the problem – though in Roy's opinion, magic was always the problem. He was glad he didn't have enough magical energy to worry about having to cast unnecessarily confusing spells, and he was fine with the few natural tricks they enabled. One of which he decided to use.

He waited until Ludwig got a good flame in, and as Morton reeled from the heat Roy magically extended his arms and grabbed the staff. He snapped his limbs back to their natural size, trying to wrest the scepter form its owner's grip. Morton was caught off guard and nearly lost his balance, but he didn't lose his staff. Roy slid forward, and the two burly Dragon-Koopas commenced a tug-of-war. The king had an advantage in that he was twice Roy's size, but he was also being pelted with the other Koopalings' attacks.

With a furious roar he kicked out, clipping Roy under the jaw. The surprise loosened the Koopaling's grip and Morton yanked the staff free, sending Roy toppling backwards. The king raised his foot, ready to squash the floundering child when he was blasted by a sonic screech.

Morton Koopa Jr. hopped up and pulled his brother to his feet. "Thanks Shory-Morty!" gasped Roy.

"No problem!" Morton beamed. For the first time in his life, he was glad not to be called by his proper name – not when its original owner was trying to bash his head in. The two Koopalings ducked under the staff and joined the others in the circle.

"Vat vere you doing?" hissed Ludwig as Roy ground-pounded at his side.

"We ain't gonna herd him to da cliff's bottom like dis," said Roy quietly as he started throwing more rocks. "If we trow his staff over dere, he's sure ta follow."

Ludwig's face was furrowed in thought as he shot a stream of lightning at Morton Sr. After a moment he nodded. "Brilliant!"

"You're surprised?" joked Roy, knowing full well his niche wasn't making plans.

"Vee can't do it exactly as you planned: zere could be complications. I'll be right back," without elaborating, Ludwig turned and made for the adult's battle.

Roy said nothing, and ignored the other Koopalings' quizzical looks as he turned, jumped and blasted another set of rocks from the ground.

-x-

King Bowser Koopa pushed himself back to his feet after leaping out of the way of the Giga's firebreath. "Is it just me, or does he seem more powerful this time around?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Alexis was nearby and decided to answer anyway. "Maybe it's cuz he's had more time to digest his dinner."

"Ewww! That's gross!" whined Luke. "Why do you say things like that? That's awful! I though you liked Kamek!"

"It was a joke, idiot!" snarled Alexis. jumping away from the swipe Giga Bowser had taken at the chit-chatting Dragon-Koopas. While she knew that it only seemed stronger because they were worn out, if she was going to die, she might as well have a little fun.

She heard a shriek as Luke was hoisted into the air by a leg. He swiveled around and bit the hand that held him, dropping back to the ground as a result. Green venom glinted in the wound, but the Dragon-Koopa poison didn't seem to affect Giga Bowser. Unfortunately, _its_ toxins (electric blue in colour) did affect the Koopas, burning holes in their flesh with its extra-powerful acidic qualities, and draining them of energy at the same time. Prince Bowser had a bad shot of it, having been gnashed recently. Alexis felt it too, but she had charms to counteract the poison immediately – it took her a minute to reach her ailing brother, and it showed.

Bowselta dodged the thrashing tail and ran up Giga Bowser's back, taking advantage of Morton's preoccupation. She had done this plenty of times already, and while she didn't have enough time to whip out her sword and run it through the monster's head or neck, she could take a swipe at him with her claws. She added to the deepening gouge in the thing's neck before it swatted her off. She usually managed to avoid its claws, but she thought she felt her fingers rack bones this time, and was distracted by the fact that the entire wound was black, totally devoid of the telltale flash of white. She saw the attack out of the corner of her eye and leapt into air, but Giga Bowser's hand hit her leg and she was sent spinning.

She managed to land without breaking any bones, and roll onto her feet before the creature could follow through with a blast of fire. Bowselta winced as eerie black energy clung to her limbs and sapped her strength, but shook it off and ran between the thing's legs before it could attack again, swinging out her sword and slashing at the tender inner thighs.

Giga Bowser reeled and bellowed. Prince Bowser and Luke seized the moment of weakness and sprung up, slashing and biting at the exposed chest and belly. Bowselta turned and joined them with her flashing sword. The thing roared and tried to beat away its attackers, losing its balance and crashing onto its side just as Ludwig entered the fray.

The Koopaling swerved out of the way of the mass of scales and spikes, nearly getting himself gored by the curving horns as he scurried past the grotesque head. Fortunately, Giga Bowser had bigger fish to fry as it sent fire streaming towards Alexis, who had been bombarding the soles of its feet with pustule-producing spells. Ludwig smiled as he saw her deflect the flame enough to spring out of the direct line of fire. Then King Bowser appeared, throwing hammers right into the monster's face from point-blank range as it struggled to right itself onto its blistering feet.

Ludwig ran forward. "ALEXIS!"

The Dragon-Koopa looked over. "WHAT?"

"Gimme back my vand!" ordered Ludwig.

"But I need it!"

"So do I!"

Alexis frowned, but after a split-second pause she hurled the baton back to its rightful owner. "Fine! Take it!"

The wand sparked as Ludwig caught it. He then turned and sped back to his battle without another word to Alexis, who had already spun herself a cloud of clones and gone after Giga Bowser one more.

-x-

Morton was getting tired of the Koopalings. Thanks to his connection to Giga Bowser, their attacks did next to no damage to him, though he'd be covered in bruises from all the rocks in a few hours. Still, they were more of an annoyance than a threat, and he grinned with satisfaction as he slugged the thin, blue-haired one with a well-aimed swing of the staff. Now it was just the one rainbow-head, the brown one, the pink one, and the little Bowser look-alike left. The king even managed a glance back towards Giga-Bowser, but was shocked to see the other blue-head charging right at him, wand in hand.

Ludwig jumped into the air and sent a blast of magic into the ground, carving a zigzagging scar in the ground. Morton had to sidestep the move, looking up to see the eldest Koopaling land and roll the wand backwards, up from his feet. Rocks erupted from the scar, and as the wand was swung forward over the young one's shoulder, they shot forward and started pelting the Koopa King.

He angrily smacked them away, finding solace in the fact that some were bound to ricochet into his little pests. But when he next looked at the children, their numbers had grown: Ludwig had healed Wendy with a prod of his wand and she was mad. She covered her eldest brother as he healed Larry, flinging ring after ring towards Morton Sr. Suddenly an ear-splitting cry filled the air. The king turned to see Lemmy, having finally awoken (_without_ Ludwig's magical assistance), racing towards him faster than he could ever have traveled on his ball.

As he sized up his opponent, Morton was hit by a fresh barrage of fireballs to his left. He growled and turned to face Larry, Ludwig and Morton Jr. Suddenly Lemmy leapt up and landed on Morton's head, clawing at his eyes and burning his scalp. The sorcerer roared and reached up to rip Lemmy away, only to have his other hand burnt by yet another fireball. Before he knew what had happened, Junior had twisted the staff from Morton's fingers, and was hopping away towards the cliff.

However, he had barely taken two steps when the Koopaling stopped dead in his tracks, overwhelmed by the power coursing through his body from the scepter. He could feel Morton's hatred, and his power, as well as Giga Bowser's, and all the people he had consumed. What's more, he could see what the monster was seeing. He saw Luke flitting away from a blast of 'his' fire, he could feel himself slice through an opponent, and saw her fall into view. It was his mother, Bowselta, and it looked like she was paralyzed by electricity. Junior knocked Alexis away, the stinging of her wand as removed as the thoughts controlling the Giga's limbs.

The fire came again, this time hitting its mark. Junior tingled as his power made Bowselta screech and writhe, cowering from the inferno as she tried to get up. Her blood was everywhere – it was intoxicating. Junior reached down, and snatched his mother into the air. Her body was fragile, and he grinned hungrily as he held her up to his face and started to crush the air from her lungs. She squirmed in pain and tried desperately to blast him with fire, but it was futile – Junior knew it, and loved it. He kicked out and sent Bowser tumbling, his feet ached and were covered in boils, but the trail of blood made the pain worth it.

He stared into Bowselta's contorted face, drool spilling from his jaws, breaths coming in fervid pants. Her eyes were wide with anger and fear, as they should be: all he had to do was squeeze a bit harder, and her bones would snap. Her energy would dissipate, and Junior would know the sweet, sweet power of death.

In a flash, the darkness vanished – the power ripped from Junior's body as Ludwig smacked the staff from his brother's fingers with his own wand. The gold glittered and the green jewel flashed as the scepter flipped end-over-end towards the cliff.

-x-

Bowselta Parakay watched the whole thing, and as the staff flew through the air, she knew it was their chance. She didn't even wait to see if Morton pursued his wand, but turned to her new companions. "Hurry! Now!"

Johnson nodded and he and four other Koopas (three of them armored), pushed at the biggest rock on the edge. Bowselta threw her weight into the effort as well, using what little strength had returned since her climb to help her alternate-reality self's soldiers dislodge the boulder. Her heart was in her throat, and it seemed like forever before the rock shuddered and gave way.

-x-

"NO!" screamed Morton, ripping Lemmy from his scalp and throwing him onto the ground as he lunged after Junior. Ludwig got there first and knocked the scepter away further. Junior was stunned; he didn't take another step and his fingers opened and closed around thin air until he was kneed out of the way by King Morton, who had already broken free of the circle of Koopalings. He charged after his staff, lunging and scooping it up at the base of the cliff. Only when it was back in his claws did Morton become aware of the world around him. A crunching sound made him look up, and as the tumbling boulder filled his view, he screamed.

-x-

Bowselta's eyes were rolling in her head, and she was barely aware of her fellow Dragon-Koopas swarming Giga Bowser in a desperate attempt to waylay her procession into his yawning mouth. She couldn't even react as her head was immersed in the stinking, purple maw and the jaws closed down on her neck. Suddenly the pressure was gone and she was falling through space.

The other Dragon-Koopas cried out at the monster turned into a mass of black goo beneath their feet and splattered to the ground. They rolled and sputtered in the filth, Bowselta amongst them, her chest heaving and her body rocked with a fit of coughing. She had barely recovered before craning her neck over her shoulder towards the Koopalings. She got to her feet and splashed through the black mire, waving off Bowser's demands concerning her well being.

The Koopalings were pale, having watched as Morton's front half was crushed, leaving his back to spasm into the air for a moment before going limp and finally dissolving into dust. The only thing left was the cloak, poking out from under the boulder. Bowselta looked them all over, checking their cuts and bruises before even thinking about the bloody mess that was her own body.

Bowser lagged behind his wife, but as he neared the group, he heard some curious sounds coming from behind him. He turned and saw other things immerging from the black pool, and without thinking, he charged back in himself, sloshing through the muck until he found who he was looking for.

"Kammy!" he cried, hoisting the old Magikoopa from the goo and holding her up, positively beaming.

"Your Hereness?" she moaned, clearly dazed.

"You had me so worried! I-," suddenly Bowser stopped mid-sentence, a look of horror on his face. "Uh, I mean, if I had to appoint a new Chief Advisor after everything that's already gone wrong this week, you'd be in big trouble!" He plunked her down onto the ground, but the black ooze came up to her waist and she wavered around, nearly falling back in. "Oops, here-" Bowser sheepishly picked her back up, holding her at arm's length at a complete loss at what to do next.

Meanwhile, the other Bowser had left the black mire behind and was jogging over to where Bowselta Parakay was picking her way down the cliff. She saw him coming and with a joyous whoop leapt from the wall and into his arms. He caught her and wavered in place, falling backwards as they both giggled ecstatically at their new freedom. Luke stood next to the pool, watching the tangled pair with dilated eyes.

Alexis groaned as she walked up beside him. "Ugh, you shouldn't be _watching_ that – you should be mad Bowser got the girl you were after."

Luke shook his head and smiled cockily. "Don't you know what this means? She only rejected me cuz she was taken! Heh! I was worried I had lost the touch for a while there, but it looks like I've had it all along!"

Alexis stared. "You're _hopeless_, you know that, right?"

Luke frowned, but King Bowser Koopa called to him and his sister before he could respond. "Hey! Don't just stand there talking like ninnies! Help me with these people!"

The Koopa twins jumped and immediately obeyed their alternate-brother: he had the same commanding tone that had kept them under their father's thumb all their lives.

"I call Kamek!" crowed Alexis, running off to find her mentor.

"No fair! Why're you always such a kiss-ass?" whined Luke, splashing through the Giga puddle after Alexis.

While they dealt with all the other people who had been eaten alive by the monster, King Bowser carried Kammy and Peach to the shore, one under each arm. He set them down on dry land. "You okay, Peach?"

"Uh," the Mushroom Princess looked awful: the black goo clung to her dress, and matted her hair. She was drained and confused. "Bowser? Wha- But weren't you… And that thing… Wh- what's going on?"

"Good question," murmured Bowser, shooting his kids a smoldering look as they walked over with Bowselta.

Ludwig grinned sheepishly. "Vell, it all started a couple monsz ago, ven I began vondering about a possible anniversary present for you and Muzzer…"


	22. Lullaby

Chapter 21: Lullaby

Ludwig marched through the corridor of Koopa Castle, the day's events still buzzing in his mind. After Morton was defeated and the Giga Bowser destroyed, there were still some things to iron out. First of all, the Koopa siblings decided that Prince Bowser would take on the rulership, hoping the powers that be would ignore the fact that Morton disowned him, Alexis and Luke. Though, they all doubted there would be opposition: while Clawdia had held the people's love, Bowser was the preferred heir. Unlike Luke and Alexis, he never lorded his power over the people, but came off as rather mild-mannered (a far cry form King Bowser of the Koopaling's dimension).

The twins didn't even try to acquire power: they were too worried about what Bowser and Bowselta would do to them in retribution for their years of licking Morton's boots. They didn't have their mother's protection, just Bowser's mercy. But as it turned out, that was all they needed. The eldest prince was just glad to see his lover free and his tyrant father dead – the last thing he wanted was to drive away his siblings: losing his beloved mother was bad enough. He didn't even have the heart to strip Kamek of his rank right then and there, after seeing how heartbroken the Magikoopa was over Morton's demise and the betrayal that preceded it.

The Koopa family and Bowselta Parakay knew they would have a lot of explaining to do to the troops waiting on the other side of the Mirror. However, they trusted that Morton's tattered cloak, the fragmented remains of his staff, and their own injuries would suffice as proof of their tale. And so, without fear for their futures, they all returned to their dimension with Kamek through the Magic Mirror. The people who hadn't seen the mystical artifact were awed by what they saw, and even the Koopalings were surprised to find the looking glass still swirling with colour as they re-entered the chamber.

The face returned in the Mirror, informing them all that the Koopaling's quest was over, and that both sets of parents could now see the path that they must walk. King Bowser was flummoxed by the words, and Queen Bowselta visibly had her doubts, but their alternate-reality counterparts were sure that good times awaited them. And then they, Luke, Alexis and Kamek disappeared in a brilliant flash as the Koopa family, Peach, Daisy, Kammy and the Mario bros. looked on.

Ludwig paused in front of his parents' door, raising an eyebrow at Morton and Wendy as they crouched with the sides of their heads pressed against the wood. Larry and Iggy stood watching them, grinning at their futile attempts to eavesdrop.

"If you open zee door you can hear much better," said Ludwig wryly.

"But that's no fun," chuckled Morton.

"Yeah, that's like giving up," pouted Wendy.

"Besides," added Iggy as Ludwig rolled his eyes. "She'll stop if we come in."

"I doubt it," said Ludwig. "Move."

Morton hopped to the side, but Wendy paused, frowning at her brother. "You're such a know-it-all."

"Sanks," smiled Ludwig.

Wendy sighed and stepped away from the door, joining the other Koopalings (whose numbers had been swelled by Lemmy and Roy, who had been attracted by the sounds of the passive bickering). Ludwig nodded his appreciation and stepped forward, reaching up to the handle and yanking the door open, happy to find it had been unlocked.

The corridor was immediately filled with music that sent shivers up the Koopalings' spines. They clustered into the doorway, gawking at their mother as she sat on the windowsill and played her flute. Bowselta obviously knew they were there, but uncharacteristically she kept her eyes closed and continued with her song, and the silver flute shimmered in her hands as the notes cascaded through the air.

"Told you I've heard zat song before," hissed Ludwig as he stepped past the threshold, a bit sorry about interfering with the music. The others murmured responses, but were too enthralled by the melody to properly respond, and instead followed Ludwig to the window.

After a final, quavering note, Bowselta lowered the flute from her lips and opened her eyes, smiling down at the Koopalings. "My mother played it to me as a lullaby – it's one of the few fond memories I can tease out of my head."

"You played it for us too, right?" it was more of a statement than a question as Morton smiled up at the queen.

She nodded. "After your father gave me the flute, it was one of the first songs I learned to play… It's got words too."

At this she looked to Ludwig. She hadn't sung the song herself since the day her parents died, but at his request, she had taught him the words. Lemmy and Wendy learned the lyrics too, and soon it had become a favorite with all the Koopalings. As they outgrew childhood fairytales, and after Bowselta disappeared, the song had vanished from the corridors of Koopa castle, but Bowselta trusted Ludwig to remember how it went: he never forgot a sing.

"Vords about zee Magic Mirror," he said. "I can't believe everyzing it says is zee trusz."

"It's funny how that happens," said Bowselta.

"Can we hear it again?" asked Larry timidly.

"With words this time," said Iggy eagerly, looking at Lemmy and Wendy hopefully. Of all the Koopalings, those two had the sweetest voices, and the greatest desire to use them. But they looked to each other in distress.

"Uh, how does it go again?" asked Lemmy.

"Can you lead?" said Wendy, turning on Ludwig.

His eyes widened in alarm. "_Vat!_ You know I can't sing to save my life!"

"We just need you to jump-start our memory," said Wendy.

"And then sing along in case we forget some of the words later," Lemmy felt it was only fair to speak the full truth.

"I-"

"Oh, come on, we'll sing along too," grinned Morton, cutting off Ludwig's plea and slapping Larry and Iggy's backs. Roy was out of his reach, and escaped the gesture.

"We will?" moaned Iggy.

Larry shook his head vehemently.

"We have to – it's only fair!" said Morton. "Come on, Ludwig!"

Ludwig started to protest. "No really, I-" he trailed off as Bowselta started chiming away with her flute. He looked over his shoulder, up at the sparking instrument and its player, outlined by the faint moonlight filtering through the volcanic clouds of Dark Land. There was a good reason for why he was named after Ludwig van Beethoven, and he closed his eyes with a sigh, letting the music take over as he took a shuddering breath and began the song: "_Long ago ven zee vorld vas new, ven-_"

"_Fire's burned_," started Wendy.

"_And no wishes came true_," now Lemmy joined in. "_When the skies were black_."

"_And the ocean's weren't blue_," Morton was beaming as he added his voice to the choir. "_Came a beautiful thing_."

"_Beyond magic nor dreams_," even Larry found the song bubbling back to the surface of his mind. "_That could read the soul_."

"_And know vat it means_…" Ludwig was smiling too, his gravelly voice lost amongst his siblings as Iggy and Roy joined in for the chorus.

"_Magic Mirror on the wall,_  
_Tell me what I want most of all._  
_In another world, in another time._  
_Show me what's always been mine._"

Only Lemmy and Wendy could continue on with Ludwig as the second verse began, but soon Morton joined them. Ludwig had perfect pitch, but his accent and overall flat voice took away from his singing. Lemmy was young enough that his tone was still high and pure, and Wendy also retained the sweetness of a child's voice. Morton's singing was neither melodious nor in tune, but no one cared.

Except Junior. Hovering at the doorway, he sneered at the ugly sound, and glared at the majority of his family gathered round the window. They didn't even care that he wasn't with them, not that he wanted to be there. He had never heard that song before going through the mirror – it wasn't even that great in his opinion. He was glad he had fallen asleep to recordings of "Mama" Peach: Bowselta might be acting all lovely now, but she was a lousy mother in Junior's eyes.

He hated her, and he resented them. The new emotions burned inside him as he hiked his new, black scarf over his snout; the white kerchief didn't suit him, and he figured it was about time to find something he wouldn't mind wearing every day. He knew he would only have a single tooth until he died, and it added to the inexplicable rage that filled the child, as he resolved to hide his face from the jeering world. He turned his back on his siblings and their mother, and silently stalked away.

Not one Koopaling noticed him, and there was too much sound for Bowselta to hear her youngest come and go, so they continued with the tune. "_Magic Mirror o'er the sea_." Here, some of them stumbled over the altered lines. "_Please show me what has to be_."

The music floated out into the air. And just as the Koopalings had heard it from their windows, Bowser listened too.

"_In another world, in another time,_"

The only difference was that he was on the roof.

"_Show me what can still be mine_."

Bowser stared over the horizon, absentmindedly stroking his old white handkerchief in one hand as he listened to Bowselta play an instrumental bridge.

"Talking to that world's Kamek, I learned something interesting, Your Pensiveness," smiled Kammy as she shuffled up to the king.

He sighed, in no mood to shoo her away. Like the Koopalings, he and Bowselta had been healed as soon as more Magikoopas arrived at the scene (Kammy and Kamek had been too drained by their ordeal to be much use), but he was still worn out.

"You see, in this world, my brother had a vision of a great and powerful Koopa with the world in his hand," continued Kammy as she sat down. "He was sure it was Morton, so when the time came to prepare for the invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom, he thought he had nothing to worry about."

Bowser snorted. "He's always had problems with putting too much faith in his visions."

"Now, now, I'm not done yet. Anyway, I won't go over what happened here, as we all know how the castle collapsed when a stray Bullet Bill exploded."

"It was a Banzai Bill, actually," sneered Bowser, amused at how Kammy had gone ahead and (mis-)quoted history anyway.

Kammy waved it off impatiently. "Anyway, it turned out that the other dimension's Kamek had a vision that Morton would disappear from the world. So he made sure extra precautions were used with the old weaponry, and the castle and Morton went unscathed."

"So they had visions of the other dimensions?" Bowser was confused.

Kammy shook her head. "You're forgetting that Morton died in their dimension too."

"No, he died in _this_ dimension."

"Yes, and in theirs."

"No! I mean, _their_ Morton died _here_," Bowser was amazed he could sort it out himself. "So, their Kamek saw stuff happening here."

"He just saw that Morton would _disappear_," explained Kammy. "Nothing more. He told me it was a real head-scratcher, but when Morton was doing so well, he figured it'd just be old age that got him, which would explain why he didn't see any details – just a sudden lack of Morton."

"Okaaaayyyy…" Bowser still wasn't convinced.

Kammy sighed. "I have more proof. Here, Kamek predicted the Marios would be the bane of the Koopas, which they are. There, Kamek didn't see anything about them, and they were simply killed as collateral damage when Morton went after Peach."

Bowser opened his mouth to say something, but Kammy pressed on.

"And, I once had a vision about a great thief who wielded a golden key and a blackened sword. As a result, I took out the little skeleton key I had made years before, got distracted and left it lying out in the open, only to find it stolen five minutes later."

"By Bowselta," Bowser had heard this story before. When his wife discovered she had stolen the key from Kammy all those years ago, she had tried to return it to her friend. But the old Magikoopa insisted that she kept it, saying Bowselta could put it to far better use than she ever could.

Kammy nodded. "Yes, but the other Kammy never got that vision, so Bowselta never stole the key. Without it, she never successfully stole Churcha's Sword. Which is why there was no vision, you see? It's a self-fulfilling loop."

Bowser's mind was reeling: there was no escaping it. "I don't get it."

"That's okay," said Kammy. "The point is, visions are what set our dimensions apart from each other, and visions are caused by ripples of energy moving backwards through time."

"Huh?"

"Everything we see comes true," said Kammy, her voice shaking with excitement. "Including Kamek's vision of a Koopa ruling the world. I haven't spoken to him about it recently, but if he once believed it to be Morton, I can guarantee you that the real deal is _you_."

Bowser frowned, and said nothing. He could hear the children singing, and the flute trilling again.

Kammy stared at him, scrutinizing his face. "Aren't you happy? It's everything you wanted."

"Yeah," sighed Bowser. "And look where it's gotten me. Ludwig told me about how the Mirror worked, I didn't really get it, but I'm pretty sure I did learn something."

"What?" prompted Kammy.

"Morton was a monster!" cried Bowser, though not loud enough to disturb the minstrels below. "All my life, I've been told how great he is and how I should be more like him, but I don't wanna be like him!"

"Bowser," said Kammy kindly. "Morton _used_ to be a great king. In this dimension, he died before he could, well…"

"Before he could take over the world," finished Bowser. "Before he could get all the power he wanted. All the power _I_ wanted. Kammy-" he looked at her pleadingly. "He tried to kill his children; he murdered his wife."

"You don't think you'll become like him!" gasped the old Magikoopa. "Your Anxiousness, it _won't_ happen!"

"How can you be so sure?" demanded Bowser, looking away. "There have been times where… where things that should matter to me, just… _don't_. Bowselta asked me 'at what price will the world come at', or something like that. And- and it's too high for me. I see that now."

"But, you can't just give up on- on _everything_."

"I'm not," said Bowser fiercely. "At least, not forever. In a few years, once the kids are grown, I'll take another swing at global domination. But for now… there's more important things."

Kammy looked over, smiling at the music. "At least now I understand why you gave the humans a lift home."

Bowser shrugged. "I always help Peach, and she was so sad about her little Mushroom guy dying in the boat explosion. I couldn't leave her stranded, and I didn't want to upset her further by leaving her friends behind."

"They don't give you enough credit, Your Thoughtfulness."

"And you give me too much credit, ya old bat!" but Bowser was smiling. Kammy wanted to move closer and give her beloved king a hug, but she knew better than to press her luck. So instead, she sat silently at his side as the song came to a final, lilting crescendo:

"_Magic Mirror on the wall,_  
_Tell me what I need most of all._  
_In another place, in another time._  
_Show me what's forever mine._"


	23. Prediction

**A/N****: If you've read my AU story **_**Bowser**__** II**_**you probably found Junior's new look familiar; I actually came up with the idea for the **_**Super Koopa**_** series, but borrowed it and some other ideas for **_**B2**_** and my other Shakespeare adaptations. Anyway, here's the kicker of **_**Super Koopa Land**_** (inspired by some of the stories by the author Selanp); the final story in the trilogy is **_**Super Koopa World**_** – enjoy!**

The figure scurried through the cave. No animals dared enter here anymore: it was just him, the distant heat of magma, dripping stalactites, and rocks. Soon he had ventured far enough into the volcano that light from the cave's mouth couldn't reach him, yet he still hadn't come far enough to reach the glow of molten rock, and the lighting fixtures on the walls were old and disused.

Or so Fawful thought. One minute he was squinting in the faint illumination of his headgear, and the next he was flooded in light. He shouted in alarm and blasted a couple of the wall-fixtures before seeing they posed him no harm. The real threat was behind him. As the Bean looked left and right for the one responsible for turning on the lights, a silvery figure oozed up from the rocks at his heels. "Can I help you?"

Fawful screeched again, jumping straight up into the air and spinning around, sending another barrage of lasers every which way. Fortunately for both the Bean and Kamek, the energy passed harmlessly through the ghost.

"Fink Rat!" snarled Fawful. "Do not have the sneaking up of me!"

"You're the one prowling around my home," said Kamek, raising a translucent eyebrow behind his glasses, forcing one of the rims to rise as well. He always loved how Magikoopa specs were flexible like that – now that magical technology was used by _everyone_ with glasses.

Except Fawful, who preferred old-school glassware, and had no love for Kamek's bifocals. "If you were possessing a door and doorbell, I would not have had the need to be walking right in, like a bear has the walking in of a cave that is smelling like-"

"Right," interrupted Kamek. "So is there a reason you're here… uh, Fawful, right?"

"You are knowing my mustardy name!"

"Bowser told me about you after you and Cackletta attacked the Beanbean Kingdom and got him hypnotized. You're lucky he didn't have a gender identity crisis because of that, because I wouldn't be as hospitable _now_ if I had been forced through that _then_," frowned Kamek. He had been on vacation in Little Fungitown when it all happened, under the pseudonym "Psycho Kamek". He even ended up assisting the Mario bros. "save the day", though he'd rather not talk about it, even in death.

Fawful growled. "Putting the spirit of Cackletta inside the Koopa King of fatness was the only way for me to have the saving of my mistress. She was being too good for him!"

Kamek smiled. "Got that right. I had always admired her work." It was one of the reasons he chose the Beanbean Kingdom to vacation in, and one of the reasons he rued having a part in her destruction. But back then, he still believed the Bowser and the Koopalings could amount to something, so saving them was a no-brainer.

"She had the knowing of you too," said Fawful, all hostilities dropped now that he knew Kamek was a fan of his beloved Cackletta. "She said you were having magic nearly as skilled as that which was hers!"

Kamek wondered if the kid was telling the truth, or just trying to butter him up for something. Still, who was he to revoke praise, especially now that his only contact with the outside world was Kammy… and frightened tourists. "_Did she?_"

"Yesing!" nodded Fawful. "But she said she could still be taking you down like a lumberjack is having the felling of trees that are old and rotting."

"Hey! I wasn't _that_ old!" Kamek was a bit indignant at that. Thanks to youth potions, no one could ever tell he was a day over 50 (which meant he was physically in his Magikoopa prime). The only tell to his age was his twin Kammy, who never took those potions (for reasons best kept unto herself), but _she_ was no reason to call _him_ old.

"What-of-evering," waved off Fawful, before realizing he might want to be a bit more courteous. "But, now that I am having the meeting of you, I am realizing that she was w-… wr-… wrong:" – he had trouble with that one – "you are having the strength of a tree of bigness, whose wood is _not_ being filled with termites of age…"

Kamek smirked.

"…But lumberjacks have the destroying of trees of sturdiness too, with their saws made of spinning chains," continued Fawful, wiping the grin from the ghost's pearly face.

_Well, at least he's being honest_, thought Kamek. "What do you want, exactly?"

"Are you knowing about how Queen Bowselta Koopa had the escape of Mushroom Castle a few weeks in the past ago?" demanded Fawful.

"Yeah, my sister told me about it," sighed Kamek. "I had hoped she couldn't wriggle out of that one."

"She is being like a worm of sliminess that burrows in the excrements of pigs who had the eating of only beans!" intoned Fawful.

"So you hate her too?" Kamek was intrigued.

"She had the betraying of me. I retrieved her stained-black sword and then the key of freedom, and had the opening of the lock. In return, I asked only for her jewelry of expensiveness."

"Her charm?"

Fawful nodded furiously. "_There_ was the double-cross! She said 'this charm is having the sentimentalness of the ring of a wedding that was belonging to a beloved mother who is dead-'"

"I doubt she said _that_," said Kamek under his ghostly breath.

"'-and so I can not have the trading away of it,'" Fawful finioshed the quotation, having missed Kamek's comment. "She was telling me that I could get a compensation soup, with crackers of Koopan gold, and broth of coins from the Koopan treasury."

"Sounds tasty," mused Kamek, toying with the boy's Engrish.

"No!" exclaimed Fawful. "For it was not having the meat, nor noodles, nor vegetables. Not even the carrots of disgustingness! No potatoes of anger. No chick-peas of love. Just water that is being called broth and soggy crackers! Grrr. I HAVE FURY!"

"Sounds like you have hunger to me," scoffed Kamek.

"I took her 'compensation', and while I would have enjoyed the spilling of it down the drain, I am being wiser than that," said Fawful.

_Not by much_, thought Kamek. But he wanted to see where the Bean was going with this, so he held his vaporous tongue.

"But I am still wanting the charm: it is being the meat, the vegetables, the grain. It is being the _Cheese_!"

"Cheese? In soup? If I could still eat, I wouldn't want to have dinner at your place," joked Kamek, before sobering up. "But you'll never get that charm off her. The only time she doesn't wear it is when… well, trust me, you wouldn't want to be there."

Fawful knew nothing of carnal instincts nor romantic love, so his mind remained blissfully and innocently void of the images turning Kamek's metaphorical stomach. "I am not caring! I do not want the appetizer of soup, I am wanting the main course: revenge!"

"But revenge is a dish best served cold," patronized Kamek. "I learned that the hard way."

Fawful contemplated the undead wizard. "Then… revenge will be the dessert! Ice cream of chocolateness, with chocolate sauce of doom! And chocolate sprinkles of rage! And chocolate chips of-"

"And hear I heard you were a mustard and sandwich guy," grinned Kamek.

"Stop with the destroying of my metaphors!" wailed the chocoholic.

"Sorry, go on."

"But I am being finished."

"Okay, so how do _I_ fit into this?" Usually Kamek would have been more adamant that his unusual little visitor cut to the chase, but company was company. Even if it was an excitable, little, Beanish ex-toady, who couldn't speak properly and had a passion for food.

"I am knowing that you have the hating of Bowselta too," said Fawful. "If we join our chocolatey-" here Kamek rolled his eyes, mercifully hidden behind his lenses, "-forces, we can be taking revenge. Like how a man takes his wasteful garbage to the curb so that the garbage truck that smells takes it to the dump of seagulls."

"Right…" said Kamek skeptically.

"Don't you have the desire to see her be crushed?"

"Of course!" said Kamek. "But I've been there, tried that. She's as lucky as Mario sometimes."

Fawful shuddered. "I am hating that Fink Rat Red too, and Green, and Pink."

Kamek shrugged off the youngster's anger and started ambling around the cave, growing bored of the whining. Truth be told, Fawful left adolescence some years ago, but Cackletta had subservience bored into his brain so strongly that he still played the part of a child.

"You must have the helping of me!"

"You mentioned her sword," said Kamek abruptly.

Fawful was caught off-guard. "Yessing…"

"You know the significance of its black marks," with Cackletta as a mentor, Kamek would be surprised if the Bean didn't.

"Of-coursing. It is being the 'Mark of the Dead', if you have the superstition."

"Oh no, it's not superstition, it's fact," Kamek turned back to Fawful. "Now tell me, did you get a good look at her right leg?"

"I am saying 'what?'!"

Without bothering to explain, Kamek smiled at Fawful and slid back into the ground. The lights turned off, and the specter's voice echoed in the darkness. "Don't worry Fawful, we all get what's coming to us. Cackletta, me, you, even Bowselta Koopa. And rest assured: hers is already on its way."

Fawful had no clue what the old codger meant. And muttering darkly to himself about his fruitless journey to DK Island, he activated his headgear and flew away. The sky was blue and the sun shone brightly. Today, the world bathed in the glow of peace, as storm clouds brewed over the horizon – out of sight, and out of mind. For now.

The End


End file.
